The Blind Prince
by StormTearzz
Summary: Amir, King Sinbad's son, and prince of Sindria finally gets to leave the kingdom to travel along side his father. They travel to the trade kingdom of Balbadd where they meet a young boy. What will become of the young prince after meeting the fourth magi? Declaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the manga or anime. I also do not own the world this story takes place


The Blind Prince

By StormTearzz

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Father are you sure you want me to come with you?" I ask, sitting across from my father in his office. I stare in his general direction blankly, confused about this sudden invitation.

"Yes, I'm sure. I think you are finally old and strong enough to leave the island," He says in return.

"I think I've been strong enough for a while now. You've never let me leave before so why now?" I cross my arms across my chest.

"Amir just pack what you need and we will depart soon," He stands and leaves my room. I sigh softly, getting up to pack for my first journey away from home.

I wonder all the time why Father acts this way. He never tells me why he does what he does. It's like how he keeps me locked up here my whole life and now he suddenly wants me to travel with him. It's strange and I just know he has a secret motive. He always does, but that's just who the King of Sindria is I suppose.

I walk in my room to be greeted by Yamuraiha. She is one of my father's generals and also my sensei. Out of all the generals I'm the closest with her. She is the one who raised me so it's only nature I suppose.

"Yam, what are you doing here?" I question as I walk towards my closet.

"I just wanted to help you pack. I know it's a little difficult for you," She follows close behind me. I sigh a little but nod in agreement. I can't deny that it's difficult to pick out an outfit when you're blind. "Why don't you go sit down while I do this?" I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Alright," I sit on my bed, waiting for her to pack my clothes. Soon she finished and we make our way to the docks to depart.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" She dramatically cries, hugging me tightly. I just stand there awkwardly. I've never been very good with other people touching me. "Promise to be safe alright!"

"O-Okay, I promise. Now please let go," I mumble, trying to pry her arms off of me. I'm saved when Father pulls her off.

"Alright Yamuraiha, that's enough. We need to leave now," He puts a hand on my shoulder, leading me to the boat and helping me aboard.

"So where are we going?" I ask as we settle in.

"We're going to Balbadd. They have stopped trade with Sindria so we're going to figure out why."

"I see. Sounds interesting," I smile half heartily. I still can't help but wonder why he brought me with him. Is there something he wants me to learn about trading?

 _~~Shortly After Arrival~~_

I sigh softly. My father has disappeared yet again and I'm not even a little surprised by this. He always tends to wonders off and leaves me with all the work.  
My train of thought is broken when I hear the guards yelling at a rather shady person at the entrance. I choose to just ignore it until Ja'far and Masrur begin to speak.

"He's here," Masrur says blankly. It must be my father. Of course, he would be doing something shady. I sigh softly, shaking my head at this. I don't bother moving though seeing as Ja'far will deal with this matter.

"Honestly, what took him so long?" Ja'far sighs. "Enough," He orders the guards to stop and brings my father in. I listen carefully and notice two more people are with them.

"Sin-sama, where have you been until now?" Ja'far asks, obviously annoyed. I sigh in disappointment as my father explains the story. He hasn't even noticed me yet, which doesn't help with the disappointment.

"I see. So our master has caused you some trouble. In accordance with our Masters wishes, leave the hotel charges to us," Ja'far tells the two that have yet to talk.

"Thank you!" A young voice of a boy calls out.

"Now, please don't stray from us again, Sin," Ja'far orders my father. Sometimes I think he is the King. It would make more sense if he was.

"Okay, okay," Father agrees, laughing it off. "See you later, Aladdin and Morgiana. Let's eat something together tomorrow!" After they make plans the two leave for their room.

"Masrur, did you notice that she is also a Finalist?" Father asks, surprising me. Someone like Masrur?

"Yes, she was," He agrees.

"By the way, Sin, it can't be that all of your luggage got stolen again, right?" Ja'far asks. My father doesn't answer, which doesn't mean anything good. "Everything... no way... even all the tools!?" He suddenly yells, making me jump slightly from the anger in his voice. Father has done it now.

"Everything was stolen," He admits proudly.

"You…! Did you somehow forget!? Did you forget how this country is dying!?" He yells and by now I'm sure he is handling my father roughly.

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine," He laughs. He should really learn to be more serious.

"It's not fine!" Ja'far screams at him.

"Just leave it to me!" Father grins, ending the conversation.

 _~~Later That Day~~_

I follow my father closely as we make our way to the throne room of Balbadd. Soon we are seated and for once my father is completely serious.

"Now, why have you broken off trade with my country, Sindria?" He asks calmly, getting right to business. To say I'm surprised would be an understatement. I've never seen him act like a true King before. "Let us hear your reason," He demands.

I hear the King and Deputy King mumble to one another. They sound panicked and they should be. I glare in their direction, trying to make out what is being said.

"Haha, calm down, Sinbad!" The King suddenly exclaims.

"I won't calm down until you resume trade with Sindria!" Father yells firmly. "Sindria is an island country. It depends on trade to stay afloat. We cannot afford to lose Balbadd as a major trading partner. Moreover, when we first started trading, your sensei who happens to be your father, taught me many things. I don't want to lose the two countries current relationship."

I glance at my father from the corner of my eye. I've never heard him so serious and passionate. He actually sounds like a King. I smile a little at the though.

"It's sad to say, but resuming trade is impossible," He states nervously. "Right now, I have my hands full dealing with Balbadd's domestic issues!"

"Domestic issues?" Father asks in confusion.

"Yes, a group called the Fog Troupe is causing some trouble. The Fog Troupe is the cause of Balbadd's domestic problems. They're a terrorist group that oppose the country itself. Nonetheless, those guys were originally but a group of about forty thieves from the slums. That is until about two years ago. They broke into the palace's treasury and pillaged it. With that as war funds, they also acquired power. Furthermore, they have acquired knowledge of a strange black magic. They have become such a powerful anti-government force that the armed forces can't control them anymore," He explains in boredom. He clearly doesn't care about what's going on. "It's the Fog Troupe's fault that trade can't be resumed! Why don't you go outside and do something about resuming trade yourself!"

"I see. So, it's fine if I do something, right?" He suddenly stands and stabs the table with a dagger. "Then I will go and exterminate this Fog Troupe, by myself, without any help from the army!" With that he stands to leave with us following behind him.

"Father is this a good idea?" I question in a bored tone.

"Now why wouldn't be a good idea, Amir?"

"Well for one, you don't have any of your tools," I snap at him.

"I don't think we'll be needing them anyway. Now! Let's go eat with Aladdin and Morgiana," He walks away, leaving me with Ja'far and Masrur. I glare at his back as he leaves. I take back what I said before, he isn't acting like a King.

"Let's go Amir, we'll figure something out later," Ja'far says, walking ahead with Masrur. I silently follow behind them, alone.

Soon we meet up with Aladdin and Morgiana for food. Father doesn't bother to introduce us. He just sits and begins to eat with them all. I stare blankly in that direction, standing off to the side. Why is it always like this? I feel so out of place.

"Hey mister, how are you?" I jump a little when I notice the little boy is in front of me. To be more precise, he's in my face.

"Um... I'm Amir of Sindria," I mumble, a little shaken that I hadn't noticed him there. I slowly back up, uncomfortable with someone this close to me. No one ever gets this close except Yamuraiha.

"My names Aladdin! Nice to meet you!" He holds his hand out for me to shake but I can't do that. I have to act like I can't see it because I'm actually blind.

"The pleasure is mine," I reply, staring blankly in his direction. This act gets a bit old, but I can't let Father know. He'll just use me if he learns of my ability to see the rukh. We continue to just stand and soon it becomes awkward. He's still holding his hand out for me.

"Aladdin, he can't see you," Father bluntly states.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He lowers his hand and looks at father.

"He means exactly what he said. I can't see you. I'm blind," I inform him blankly, but also with a strong voice. I won't sound weak when I'm talking about my blindness.

"Blind... oh," He mumbles, staring right at me now.

"Though I can still feel that every one of you are staring at me, so please stop," I sigh softly, turning my head away from him.

He only moves in my line of sight again. "How can you feel something like that? That's so cool!"

I blink a few times to clear my shock, my mouth hanging ajar a little. "Um... I don't know. I guess instinct."

"Instinct... so cool!" He grins. After a moment, I shakily smile in return. No one has ever thought of this as cool. He's a really strange kid. He soon goes back to eating. "Are you going to join us, Amir?" He asks after noticing I haven't moved.

I look towards him. "I don't eat in front of people," I admit. It's embarrassing since I have to fumble around looking for the food.

"Well it's just friends and family here, so you can eat in front of people this time!" He jumps up and grabs my hand. I stiffen and try to pull away, but he just pulls me towards the others. He guides me to a seat then goes back to his own. I blush lightly. I just said I don't like to eat in front of people! This brat is a bit rude.

"Aladdin, we can't make him eat if he doesn't want to," My father saves me from farther embarrassment.

"Well I guess, but he can still sit with us," Aladdin then starts to stuff his face once again.

I glare a little at the space in front of me. "Father, we don't have time to sit here and talk. We need to make a plan. You don't have tools so you've put us in a rather difficult situation," I state firmly.

"Well-" Father was cut off by Aladdin. "Wait! Father? Amir you didn't say you were Uncle Sinbad's son."

"I guess I didn't, but now you know," I sigh. This is becoming exhausting.

"As I was saying," Father begins, "I'll figure it out somehow."

"Father," I hiss in warning.

"But still, even if we're counting on a minimum level of damages from this internal issue a couple of problems still remain. Balbadd's late King taught me a lot about trade. I'm truly indebted to him. It's a shame that he died but I won't let my benefactor's country be destroyed. I won't let Balbadd fall into civil war," He explains when suddenly a burst of white fills my vision. I jump in shock, my eyes wide as I stare at the giant arms that appeared out of nowhere.

Father must have noticed as he turned around and yelled in surprise. "Amazing-!? Aladdin you're also a Magi...?" Father asks in shock.

"Also? Do you know other Magi?" Aladdin questions in return.

"Yes. I know another Magi. Though our relationship isn't the best."

"Just who are you Uncle Sinbad?" Aladdin questions. I tilt my head a little and smirk. He's smarter than he seems.

"I see. Since you are a Magi, I will reveal myself. I've hidden it until now, so please don't think badly of me. I am Sinbad," He stats with pride.

"Who's that?" Aladdin asks and I can't help but laugh softly behind my hand. Luckily nobody notices.

"What!? You don't know?"

"I think I've heard it somewhere before but where?" Aladdin starts to mumble to himself.

"Please remember! The legendary Sinbad who has repeatedly sailed across the world's seven seas! The adventurous man who captured many dungeons around the world and even established a country. Capturing a total of seven dungeons! The master of seven djinn, the high King of the seven seas. That is Sinbad."

"A-Amazing!" Aladdin says in amazement. "But, I don't really understand!"

"What!? You don't understand!? Even though you're a Magi!?" Even I have to admit that's a little strange.

"Yea. There are still many things I don't understand. Things about djinn masters and dungeon captures are things I've only recently heard about. Ah! But if it's Sinbad's Adventure books, the I've heard of those!"

"I see! Well, thank you!" Father replies happily. "Well, to explain dungeons would take a while so next time I'll teach you more about them."

"Okay, but before that I want you to teach me one thing."

"And what is that, Aladdin?" Father questions.

"I wonder, what are Magi?" Aladdin questions innocently. I frown softly at this. Is he really a Magi? If so, then why doesn't he know anything of this? "First, I want to know about myself," He continues.

"Hmm," Father begins to think. "The first thing you hear about Magi is this," He points to the djinn. "They can easily materialize a djinn and continue to do so with a steady output of magoi. With the exception of Magi, capture's' and other people's magoi would disappear in an instant."

"No, it also disappears for me when I show them too. If I use my flute a lot I get hungry and sleepy."

"Is that so? I see, so when Magi use magoi, their stamina decreases? Interesting," Father mumbles. I sigh softly at him. He isn't trying to help Aladdin understand. He's just using him like he does everyone else. "Still, to us normal people you have an infinite supply of magoi. Magoi is the energy rukh creates. Do you know about rukh? Sky, sea, earth, it exists in everything. Of course, it also dwells within living things. From their inner rukh, ordinary humans can only produce a certain amount of energy that can be used. However, Magi can use other rukh than just their own. So basically, other than the energy your inner rukh produces you can use an indefinite amount of energy! They are loved by the rukh," Father explains.

"Wow… Magi really are amazing, huh?" Aladdin says in awe.

"That's right. Can I ask a favor of the amazing Aladdin?" Father asks.

"What is it?"

"To tell you the truth, there is a certain battle going on right now, but because of certain circumstances…" He trails off.

"Well you shouldn't have lost the metal vessels!" I hiss at him, standing up abruptly. To be honest this whole conversation is pissing me off. I don't understand how Father can act like this.

I feel everyone stares on me as I glare in my father's direction. "Yes. As of now I do not have any metal vessels. All seven of those were stolen from me. So, would you be willing to lend us your power?"

"Father you cannot be serious! Aladdin is just a child! We cannot ask him to help fight the Fog Troupe!" I stop Aladdin from answering.

"Wait, the Fog Troupe?" Aladdin cuts in.

Father completely ignores me in favor of Aladdin. "Yes. Join forces with us so that the Fog Troupe, which is causing a disturbance in this country, can be brought to justice."

"Lord Sinbad, wait! Prince Amir is right!" Ja'far steps in front of Morgiana and Aladdin, blocking them from Father view. "Do you not understand what nonsense you are saying!? He's still a young child! The same age as Amir! Would you send Amir into battle if it were him!? Would you ask someone so young to do that!?" Ja'far yells in anger at Father, trying his best to make him understand.

I stay silent, waiting for my father's answer. "Yes, I would. If he could possibly help I would send him in as well," He states calmly. My eyes widen, all anger leaving me.

"You... you would do that to me?" I whisper, looking down now to hide my face.

"You know I would," He doesn't even bother to look at me.

I clinch my fists, shaking slightly. He would send me to my death... my own Father. He thinks I can't see at all and yet... he would still do this to me? I don't say anymore. I close my eyes tightly to fight the tears away. I quickly run back inside, narrowly missing the walls as I go.

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _ **Aladdin's Pov**_

"Sinbad! How could you say that to him!?" Ja'far suddenly yells, making me jump in shock. All I can do is watch this unfold in front of me. Mister Sinbad seemed like a really nice guy when I first met him, but now he seems like a heartless King. I don't understand…

"Age doesn't matter, does it? The most important point is whether they have the capability of facing the thieves or not," Mister Sinbad tries to reason.

"Maybe age doesn't matter, but Amir isn't capable! He's blind! You just told your only son that you would send him off to die!"

"When did this even become about Amir?" He asks suddenly. "This is about Aladdin. Aladdin is a Magi. Just as you see here, he wields powers beyond imagination. Although he is still a child, his capability already far surpasses that of a fully-grown adult. I was fourteen when I first captured a dungeon. It was said that thousands had died in that dungeon. Since then, my experiences during those repeated voyages, adventures, and life-threatening fights have become my weapon in those years where survival wasn't guaranteed. What is needed is power. To stay alive when challenging unknown worlds, you need an ability that surpasses everyone else! He has that power. You should be able to see it too, right Ja'far?" Mister Sinbad explains.

"Maybe so, but we can't ask him to decide just yet," Ja'far answers after thinking. "At least let Aladdin think about this first," He demands.

"Alright," Sinbad nods in agreement. "Aladdin, why don't you talk this over with your friend here? Take your time," He smiles at me.

I slowly nod before Mor and I walk to another area to talk. "Mister said to get rid of the thieves. Mor, what should we do?" I ask softly. I'm still confused by the whole situation between Amir and Mister Sinbad. Why would he act like that to him?

"Let's join them," Mor says, driving me away from my thoughts.

"We're really going to?"

"Yes, that is because the ship to the Dark Continent was halted due to the Fog Troupe. Once the Fog Troupe is taken down, the harbor will probably resume its activities. Furthermore, according to our previous conversation, it seems this man is familiar with Balbadd's King. If we managed to solve this problem, we can also borrow the country's resources to aid us in our search for Alibaba."

"Oh, Morgiana is clever!" Mister Sinbad pops out from behind the wall with Masrur. I jump in surprise. Was he spying on us? "Completely different from you who resolves everything through brute force!" He teases the other man.

Morgiana steps towards Mister Sinbad. "We are looking for someone; surely you can request the King to help us?" She questions.

"Of course! I will ask the King of Balbadd to send people to search the entire nation," He promises. "Furthermore, I will arrange a boat to the Dark Continent. How does that sound?"

"Yeah!" I quickly agree in excitement for Mor. "We'll help with taking care of those thieves!"

"Then we have an agreement! Let's draw up a strategy Aladdin!" Mister Sinbad grins widely at me.

"Yeah!" Mor and I agree.

"As for Morgiana! Why don't you just stay at the hotel with Amir and wait for us?"

"Um... I can fight, too," Mor mumbles in confusion.

"No, even if you are a Finalist, I can't let a girl fight. Just leave this matter to us men; you just wait at the hotel! All right!" He grins at her then begins to lead her back inside.

I jump when Morgiana slams her foot down, creating a huge hole. "I want to fight too! I'm already prepared, so no matter how big that band of thieves is, I can get rid of them just the same," She says stubbornly as she glares at Mister Sinbad.

I grin widely at this. "Mor is very strong! Just the other day, she took care of the band of thieves that was occupying the rock quarry. When I was captured, it was her who rescued me too!"

"What!?" Mister Sinbad exclaims in shock. "She single-handedly defeated the band of thieves that even captured a Magi? Finalists sure are strong."

"Well, let's go plan a strategy," Ja'far suggests. We before we could step inside Amir blocks the door. He glares straight at Mister Sinbad. I shiver at the look on his face. Even Mister Sinbad paled a little bit.

"I'm fighting too," He states calmly.

Everyone is silent until Ja'far speaks up. "Absolutely not!" He yells at Amir. Amir doesn't even flinch.

"I will fight the Fog Troupe with you. Father has already said that if I was able to do something he would send me in. There is no reason to leave me here."

Ja'far starts shaking in anger. "Amir have you somehow forgotten!? You're blind! You can't do anything to help us!" He yells right in his face. Amir flinches at that. Ja'far paled suddenly. "Amir… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"I don't care. I am the Prince of Sindria. You are merely a general. You cannot stop me and we both know my father won't," He glares at Ja'far who backs away in shock at how cold it looked.

"R-Right. Of course," Ja'far bows his head as he backs away.

All I can do is stare at them. They're really going to let him fight? Even though it'll be really dangerous? "Um... Mister Sinbad... I think you should stop him," I mumble. Amir and Mister Sinbad look at me, one glaring daggers. He may be blind but when he turns his head to you it's like he's staring right into your soul. I shiver a little again at the coldness in his eyes.

"Amir can fight if he wants to," Mister Sinbad states, shocking me. "He can fight just fine, better than most people his age," He says, sounding a little proud for the first time.

"But how?" I ask confused. I don't want to sound rude to Amir, but I truly can't see him fighting.

"I am a master swordsman and a magician in training," Amir suddenly speaks up, smirking a little.

"Woah really!?" I exclaim in shock.

"Yes. I've trained with my father's generals since I was very young. Now that, that has been decided, shall we start discussing our strategy?" He smirks in victory before walking back inside. We all follow him towards a private seating area in silence.

"Since everyone is assembled, let's start the meeting. I'll leave it to you, Ja'far!" Father says, grinning widely. I sigh softly. Of course, he'll leave it to Ja'far. Why wouldn't he?

"Thank you. I'll now explain what the information I have gathered from the residents and the military tells us about when and where those robbers tend to attack," Ja'far starts off. "Firstly, they only act on foggy nights. Balbadd often suffers from fog. When the sea wind blows across the hills, fog usually forms. The thieves take advantage of this fog to hide their actions. Secondly, their aim is the country's treasury and the rich. They act in groups of at least ten, but no more than a hundred people. Having stolen the food, weapons, and goods, they then disperse. Thirdly, a point which many people have noticed they always manage to hit areas that are weakly guarded. As you can understand from this, the chances of an inside information leak are very high. But, the most troublesome part of the problem, however, is that a large majority of the residents support them. So, once they disperse into town, it becomes impossible to track them down."

"Even though they are thieves, the residents support them?" Aladdin questions in confusion.

I glance towards the boy, deciding to take over for Ja'far to explain this. "Of course, they would. It's only nature for them to at this point because the thieves distribute the stolen items among the poor. So, they are known as virtuous thieves. This has won the hearts of the people," I conclude with a bored sigh. This is far too troublesome.

"Yes, Prince Amir is correct. Also, there is one more thing. The one who is the most popular of them all is the leader known as Wonder Man Alibaba," Ja'far adds in a formal tone. He must be upset about earlier. Aladdin breaks me from my thoughts with a sudden gasp of shock. I stare at him for a moment longer, wondering just what had shocked him. He seems awfully troubled about it.

"Um... If the citizens support them is it really alright to capture them?" Morgiana speaks up for the first time.

"I agree with your reservations," My father speaks up. "The Fog Troupe is well known as virtuous thieves. This means that they are thieves who act against perceived injustices. Furthermore, the fact that they distribute the stolen items from the country's treasury to the poor has earned them the support of the people. But, this got me thinking… what if they performed those righteous actions just to gain the support or for other ulterior motives. Well, because of who and what I am, I'll think about all sides before arriving at the conclusion I feel is correct. Think about it before deciding for yourself. I hope you can give it the needed consideration, so you can differentiate between what is right and wrong and that you can believe in whatever answer you have attained for yourself. This is how I've paved my way. How about you?" My father finishes his speech.

We all agree with my father. Sadly, I do as well. He is right about this. We need to decide for ourselves if we want to fight them or not. I do wonder though if it is a good thing to stop them since they are helping the poor. At the same time this is only hurting the people more. I frown softly at the thought. This will be a difficult decision for Aladdin and Morgiana. I already know that I will fight to stop them simply because this isn't how things should be handled.

 _~~Time Skip to a Noble's Mansion~~_

I stare in boredom the area in front of me as I listen in to a conversation between the guards. Why are they even gossiping about why a kid is here? Shouldn't they be doing their job?

"As the army is weak, there are two areas that are easy targets for the Fog Troupe, like this area," Ja'far says to Aladdin.

"Then what about the other area?" He wonders.

"Sin and the Finalist Masrur are already acting as guards to watch the area there."

"I see. Will Mister Sinbad be okay? He has no power right now, but the Fog Troupe can use mysterious powers, right?"

"My father will be fine. He is the King of the Seven Seas. He's quite used to seeing mysterious powers," I inform him calmly.

 _~~Later That Day~~_

Nothing has happened all day. The Fog Troupe hasn't made a move, but that isn't much of a surprise. They're waiting for the fog to cover the city. Sadly, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here. I can't see the fog nor do I even know if it's dark. I glance at Aladdin. He's been quiet for quite a while now.

"Hey Aladdin, are you okay?" I question, staring towards him.

"Yea. I'm perfect," He says in awe, stumbling forward. I frown softly as the guards begin to do the same. What's going on?

"Wait where are you going?" I grab his arm, pulling him to a stop. I stiffen as a strange smell hits me full force. "W-What is this?" I groan, grabbing my head as it grows fuzzy. "What's happening?" I mumble. "I feel so... light," I stumble forward with the rest of the group. What's happening to me? I feel so... happy. I wish I could share this with Yamuraiha... and maybe even Father.

"Amir," I hear a soft voice from behind me. I stumble around to face it.

"W-Who's there?" I mumble, trying to focus on the person. "Yam?" I grin at the sight of her rukh. I quickly make my way towards the person I could call my mother. "I'm so glad you're here. I missed you," I hug her, sighing in content when her arms wrap around me.

"I'm here now Amir. There's no need to miss me anymore," She says softly, comforting me like she has always done.

I smile softly. "You know... I kind of wish Father was here too. Maybe he wouldn't be so disappointed in me right now."

"What are you talking about Amir? I'm right here," I hear my father's voice beside me. I look up in shock.

"F-Father?" I question after a moment.

"Yea, it's me," He grins, ruffling my hair up. I sigh in content. I could stay here forever with the two people I love the most… forever. I close my eyes relaxing in the arms of Yam. Slowly, I begin to lose consciousness.

"Aladdin! Amir! You can't let them get away, capture them! It's the Fog Troupe!" My eyes snap open and I jerk away from the embrace. I stumble back and trip over something. I sit there in shock. How could I fall for something like that!? My father would never act that way towards me! How stupid can I be!

"Ugo-kun!" I hear Aladdin yell out then the sound of his flute following soon after. Rukh sudden floods the area.

"A monster!" The Fog Troupe begins to yell in panic. I stumble to my feet, pulling my sword out. I grip it tightly in anger. These people... they showed me something I've always dreamed of but will never have. How dare they…

I cry out as I attack a random thieve, only for him to block me. My eyes widen when a foot connects with my stomach. I cough, dropping my sword to hold my stomach as I groan in pain. I feel his fist connect to my face next. I fall backwards, groaning. I didn't know actual combat would be so hard.

"I won't let you pass!" Aladdin suddenly yells from the top of Ugo. "Amir! Hurry and get away!"

I frown at the thought of running away, but right now I don't have much of a choice. I quickly run back towards Aladdin and the others.

"What's wrong, mate?" A thieve suddenly speaks up. I turn towards them, still holding my stomach as it throbs.

"Leave this to me," Another reply as he walks out of the crowd and towards us. I tense up, preparing myself for an attack. An attack doesn't follow through. I hear the sound of cloth falling to the ground and then Aladdin gasping in shock.

"Alibaba," He mumbles through his daze.

"Alibaba do you know him?" The thieve from before speaks up.

"Yea, I do," He nods then turns towards us. "Aladdin, it's been a long time. Can you put Ugo-kun up? You are scaring my comrades."

"No! Aladdin don't do it! It's a trap!" I yell at him. At this rate we need Ugo or they will overpower us. My eyes widen in shock as the rukh that was once overflowing disappears meaning Aladdin did as he asked. How could he? Is he betraying us?

"Erm, actually, I came here looking for you Alibaba! I have so many things I want to tell you! Do you still remember that time? We made a promise!" Aladdin walks up towards the man now known as Alibaba. So the person he was searching for was this low life thieve? I frown deeply at the turn this has taken.

"Aladdin... sorry," He walks past Aladdin, pushing him out of the way as he goes. "I.. can't keep that promise." The rest of the thieves begin to follow him, but Aladdin doesn't make a move to stop them.

"It's the thieves! Take them down!" I jump in shock when the guards suddenly run forward from behind us.

"Reinforcements from the military have arrived!" Ja'far yells out. He stands, readying himself to fight as well.

"Hey, Alibaba, time to escape!" A thieve yells.

"Alright, leave it to me," Alibaba replies, raising his weapon.

"No!" I yell, pulling out my staff. I always keep it strapped to my back. "I won't let you! Sharrar Baraq!" I yell the spell Yamuraiha taught me. A dragon made of water forms and speeds towards Alibaba. At the same time Alibaba also yells out a command.

"Stern and dignified of etiquette, in the name of my magoi, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members. Come forth, Amon!" He yells out and warm rukh fills the air around me. My water dragon makes contact with the rukh surrounding Alibaba only to evaporate away.

"W-What is this?" My eyes widen in shock at the rukh. "Is he a dungeon capture!?" I yell, turning towards Aladdin for an answer.

"Yes. He is," He answers softly.

"Don't cower! Take down Wonder Man Alibaba!" A guard yells as he charges forward with his men.

"No, don't go near him!" I yell in panic. If he is a dungeon capturer then a normal guard wouldn't stand a chance.

"Let's go Amon!" Alibaba yells as the men grow closer. "Scorching wall of flames!" I watch as the rukh of all the guards are thrown away by his power.

Fear begins to grow inside me as I listen in horror to the screaming guards. I stumble backwards into someone. I quickly turn around to come face to face with Aladdin.

"Amir, it's okay. I know Alibaba. He won't kill anyone," He puts a hand on my shoulder. Slowly my shaking begins to subside.

"O-Okay," I nod slowly, gathering myself. I turn back towards the fight with a new-found confidence. "The thieves are going to escape again. We'll have to retreat as well and form a new plan."

 _~~The Next Morning~~_

"How unexpected," My father mumbles. "To think that there would be a dungeon capturer in the Fog Troupe." I nod in agreement as we all gather.

"Yes. I've also confirmed that their side has several magical items, and among them is a metal vessel. Fortunately, there were no deaths," Ja'far informs us. I frown softly. This is going to be a little more difficult than I first thought. I appear to be useless in battle just like Ja'far said I would be. I can't do anything to help because I lack real life combat experience. To make matters worse, Father doesn't have his tools. If he did this would have ended long ago. I clench my fists together tightly to help control myself. This is becoming far too complicated.

"It's said that Wonder Man Alibaba always uses this tactic to get away. The military is also at its wit's end. What's more unexpected, though is that he is the friend Aladdin was looking for," Father trails off slowly as we all look towards Aladdin.

"Yes, I can't imagine a Magi's friend being reduced to a thief," Ja'far sighs softly.

"In the end though, what kind of person is Wonder Man Alibaba anyway?" Father wonders.

"According to the residents he became active in the Fog Troupe around half a year ago. Every time the Fog Troupe distributes the stolen goods to residents, they are bound to call out his name, thus he is being seen as a hero by the residents," Ja'far explains. I narrow my eyes at them before turning my gaze back to Aladdin.

"Calling a thief, a hero. It's absurd," I say in anger. "Aladdin, why didn't you inform us that your friend was a dungeon capturer?" I question as I walk up to him.

"I didn't think it would matter," He mumbles, looking down. I simply shake my head at him. In the end he should have told us this. If he did we may have been able to win.

 _ **Alibaba**_ __ _ **Pov**_

I glare down towards my feet. I can't believe after all this time Aladdin would show up here. Why did he have to pick now to find me? I sigh softly before I look towards my comrades. Cassim, Zaynab, and Hassan. They are all dear to me. I can't leave this fight to them to join up with Aladdin again. Even if they didn't need my help I wouldn't be able to leave Balbadd. I owe it to this country to stay and try to make it a better place. I'm broken from my train of thought when three men walk towards the base of the mountain of boulders I'm sitting on.

"So you guys are wanted criminals too, huh?" Cassim hums with a tilt of the head. "If you have nowhere to go, we're always open, so how about it?

"That's right, there are no enemies in the Fog Troupe. This is the safest place," Hassan says.

"Plus, we're also looking for more comrades at the moment," Zaynab adds with a nod.

"It's not like we dislike strong people joining, right mate?" Cassim asks me.

I look up towards the three men, glaring at them coldly. "Hey, the three of you… we're chivalrous thieves and we're currently fighting against the military for the slums. You are not allowed to steal from or rape anyone and neither are you allowed to hurt anyone from the slums. If I find out you have done either, you'll receive death as punishment. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Leader!" The small, fat one yells. "With your consent, we'll serve you to our fullest!"

I nod firmly, the cold glare never leaving my face. "I'm done talking, you can go now!"

 _~~Later On~~_

"Hey Cassim, what exactly is it you are planning?" I ask him as we walk down the hall.

"What?" He questions in false innocence.

"You keep recruiting unknown people like those three just now! The number of people in our group has already doubled this month! Could it be that you're planning to start a war!?" I shout at him. I'm tired of him constantly avoiding my questions and changing the subjects. He stays quiet for a moment, just staring at me, then he suddenly gives me a lazy smirk.

"War, huh. Good idea you got there," He chuckles softly.

"Hey!" I yell in shock and anger.

"Just joking, just joking!" He grins before going completely serious. "But we must continue to fight, because this country is already done for." We stop walking. I stare him straight in the eye, trying to find out what I can believe. "Economic breakdown, foreign interventions and only those officials and nobles at the very top still enjoy three meals a day." He grabs me by my shoulders and gets up close to my face. "We need someone who can punish those guys. You are a leader. As Leader, you should be aware of these things more quickly!" My eyes widen in shock and I quickly shake him off.

"That's because you-!" I'm cut off when a group of children run up towards us.

"Big brother Alibaba!" They all shout in joy.

"Brother, welcome back! You've kicked the ass of the army again, right!?" They gather around us. Some even hug at our legs.

"Big brother Alibaba is so awesome!" Another one grins widely at me.

"It's all thanks to Alibaba that everyone in the slums can now have two whole meals a day! Brother Alibaba is the hero of our slums!" He grins happily towards me. I jerk in shock. All these kids…

"Hey, mate," Cassim puts his hand on my shoulder with a soft smile on his face. "When we were as young as them we had also already survived the hell of the slums for as many years." He once again grabs my shoulders, a sign that he has grown serious again. "The slums can't continue being like this. Especially since you are the only one who managed to escape this hell. The only person capable of changing life in the slums is you! Please, save those children... don't let them follow in my younger sister's footsteps! I beg you! Please don't go anywhere else, Alibaba!" He cries out. I watch in shock as his eyes gloss over with tears. "Stay by my side and fight together with me like in the past!"

 _ **Chapter 3**_

 _ **Alibaba's Pov**_

I grimace as an image of Aladdin pops into my head. No, don't think about it! Didn't I already decide to depend only on myself to solve this!? I freeze when I hear a strange sound coming from my window.

"Who's there!?" I turn around only to see nothing. "Just now... it looked like someone was there?" I sigh, shaking my head at myself. I begin to climb into my bed to rest for the night. I must be really tried to start hallucinating like that. I'll just worry about everything tomorrow. I start to close my eyes and relax before they snap back open. Morgiana is right above me with a scary look on her face. I open my mouth to scream, but she's too fast.

"Don't make a noise, or else I'll make you lose consciousness," She mutters. My eyes widen in panic. I quickly start to try and fight my way out but she simply punches me in the stomach. I cough before collapsing to my knees.

"W-What's the meaning of this?" I wheeze. "How did you find me?"

"I remembered your scent and followed it here," She answers like it's perfectly normal. "I wanted to ask you what exactly happened. Why did you become a thief? Please tell your reasons to Aladdin."

I frown and look away from her. "No. I've nothing to say to him. This is the thieves' hideout. You should go now before you're killed."

"No, I won't leave. Not before you tell me your reasons. In order to meet you again, Aladdin had to make quite a long journey these past months. Six months ago, when you were still in Qishan, didn't you try everything to search for Aladdin, too? I think you still have things to have to tell him."

"No means no. That was in the past, it doesn't matter now."

"Why not?" She glares at me.

"No matter what, I just can't."

"And what exactly do you mean by that? Is there something stopping you from doing so!?" She suddenly yells at me. I jump slightly before glaring towards the ground.

"It has nothing to do with you! Shut up! This is my problem! Once a man decides on something, women should keep their mouths shut!" I yell at her. I instantly start to regret it when she slams her foot down. The ground cracks open from the force. I gulp loudly when she glares at me.

"There is no way that it doesn't concern us," She mumbles before lifting me up in her arms. My face pales when she steps out onto the ledge of my window. "You guys need to talk a little. I'll bring you to meet Aladdin!" She jumps out the window with that.

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I stare at the space in front of me in pure boredom. I'm sitting with my father, Ja'far, and Masrur to discuss the events of the night before. I don't even know why I'm here. Father had asked to me to join them for this, but he has yet to say a word to me since then. I can't help but wonder what he has planned.

"Judging from what happened last night the ones that attacked you in your area weren't part of the Fog Troupe, but just ordinary citizens, am I right?" Ja'far asks my father and Masrur.

My father nods slowly. "That's right. They were citizens that could no longer endure the hardships of extreme poverty. But to go to the extent of attacking and raiding the rich's homes. It seems that Balbadd is experiencing a major economic gap. Just what is going on here?"

"The country seems to be having a chaotic problem with the economy. This may be one of the reasons. Not only that, other countries seem to be intervening with this country's affairs," Ja'far sighs before shaking his head lightly at this problem.

"What do you mean?" I decide to finally speak.

"Take a look at this," He begins and I hear the sound of some kind of paper. I glare towards him for that. He just ignored me for the most part. "I heard that this paper note called juan was issued by the Huang Empire. Moreover, when I went to investigate this thoroughly, I found out that the King of Balbadd, Abumad Saluja, is engaged to a princess from the Huang Empire."

"What did you say!?" Father shouts. "That bastard. Why didn't he tell us anything about this?" I shake my head in disappointment.

"More importantly, the biggest problem we have here is certainly the Fog Troupe. Since our opponents have a djinn's metal vessel, as well as that many magic items. If we don't revise our battle plans, the situation will become very serious," Ja'far looks at my father with a serious look in his eye. "It looks like establishing contact with our country is still the best choice,"

"Of course, it's the best choice," I glare at Father. "But it wouldn't be necessary if we still had our own metal vessels."

"Amir that's enough out of you," He stands up, glaring down at me. My eyes widen a little, but I don't flinch away as his rukh sparks to life. "You did nothing in the fight last night. You were of no help just like Ja'far had said," He sighs in disappointment. I frown softly at this but otherwise keep my expression blank. "I thought you were strong enough to at least fight thieves but I was wrong. Aladdin had to save you."

"He didn't just save me. He saved Morgiana and Ja'far as well."

"I said that is enough of you!" He barks at me. I quickly shrink away at that. He sighs before turning back to Ja'far. "Speaking of which, where's Aladdin?"

"Well, Aladdin seems to be very dejected. Since then, he's been resting in his room. Although being a Magi, he is still a child after all."

"I see," Father mumbles softly. I just glare at him. My eyes grow a little teary from his earlier words. How could he expect more out of me? I tried to fight, but I failed. We all did, so why is he so mad at me? Does he really hate me this much? I shake my head to rid myself of these thoughts before I silently leave to find Aladdin. Slowly the tears filling my eyes start to fall. I quickly try to brush them away as I hurry to Aladdin's room, but no matter how many times I wipe them away they just won't stop.

I wipe at my eyes in anger as I stumble to Aladdin's door. Before I know it, I'm walking straight into the door. "Ow..." I whine softly as I hold my nose where I hit the door. More tears start to spill from my eyes at this. I'm so pathetic. I'm even running into door now.

"Amir?" Aladdin asks as he opens the door. I freeze, my eyes wide. Why did I come here? I don't want him to see me like this! I don't want him to be disappointed too! "Amir, what's wrong?" His voice is laced with worry. I don't look at him until he gently grabs my arms and turns me to face him. I just stare at him as a blank look takes over my face. I can't show any more of these stupid emotions. Not to him, not to anyone. I just can't.

"Come sit inside with me. We can talk if you want to," Aladdin says softly, as if he's talking to a scared animal. He begins to guide me inside of his room and towards the window. "How about some fresh air? I think we could both use it," Though I can't see it, I know he's giving me a sad smile.

"Is something wrong with you?" I question after a moment of hesitation.

"Oh. I guess it's just Alibaba," He sighs softly before turning his head to look outside. "I was looking forward to meeting him again and going on another adventure."

"I see. He is very dear to you, right?" I tilt my head a little.

"Yes. He was the first friend I ever made."

My eyes widen in shock. I just stare at him, wondering how someone as kind as Aladdin only recently made his first friend. I open my mouth to ask but before I could someone tackles me, or more accurately, is thrown onto me. I yelp and close my eyes tightly in pain. "G-Get off!" I yell, trying to push the bigger person off of me.

"A-Alibaba?" Aladdin shutters in shock. My eyes go wide. The man we're after is right here! Maybe, just maybe, if I can capture him then maybe Father will be proud of me. My eyes narrow in determination.

"Alibaba! I won't let you get away again! I can't afford to!" I growl at him as he starts to stand. I lunge at him, tackling him to the ground.

"Amir, don't hurt him!" Aladdin yells, trying to pull me off.

"I'll get him," A calm voice speaks, which I soon realize belongs to Morgiana.

I gasp when I'm suddenly lifted off of Alibaba and into the air. "Let me go!" The tears come back full force. "I have to capture him. I have to!" I struggle to get out of the Finalists arms.

"Amir," Aladdin suddenly speaks up. I watch him walk closer then pull me from Morgiana's arms. His arms quickly replace hers as he tries to comfort me. I stiffen in shock. Yam is the only one who has ever held me like this. It's so nice… I slowly relax into his arms and cry silently onto his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," I finally whisper after a few minutes. I don't pull away though. I never want to leave this embrace but I also can't bring myself to return it.

"It's okay Amir," Aladdin smiles at me as he pulls away. I suddenly start to feel very cold as he did, but I don't say anything. I just look down to hide my tear-soaked face. Soon an awkward silence fills the room.

"H-Hey… sorry for um… disturbing you, Aladdin," Alibaba speaks up. Soon we all move to sit down. I sit next to Aladdin and Alibaba and Morgiana sit across from us. "I-It seems like you're doing well," He trails off slowly.

"Yea! Alibaba, too!" Aladdin says brightly. He's trying to break the tension.

"It's been half a year, hasn't it? You look like you've changed quite a lot since then, no?" Alibaba also begins to speak in a bright and happy voice.

"Yea! Alibaba too," It seems Aladdin couldn't keep it up. Another silence fills the room for a few minutes before Morgiana speaks.

"Please get to the point. Yesterday, you even pointed your sword at Aladdin so please hurry up and explain why you are with the Fog Troupe," She says in a cold voice, glaring down at him. I slowly peak up to watch the rukh around me. I notice Aladdin turn towards me for a moment before focusing on Alibaba again.

"You're annoying. I was actually getting to that part but, since you said it like that, I don't feel like saying it anymore," Alibaba mutters. Suddenly a chill fills the air. I shiver a little, fearing what the Finalist may do.

"Please hurry up and explain it. This isn't a time to be joking around. Do you even know what situation this country is facing because of what your Fog Troupe did? Trading stopped because of this internal conflict. The government doesn't even care about the citizens' well-being. Those innocent people that ran away because of this found themselves being caught by slave traders!" She yells the last part. I jump slightly at the sudden change. She must really feel strongly about this.

"I could never imagine that you would be carrying out misdeeds like these! When you were in Qishan you were a kind person who was even willing to donate his entire fortune, just to free salves like me!" My eyes go wide in shock. So that's why she cares so much about this. "I seriously cannot imagine you're the kind of person who doesn't even care about someone's well-being!" She yells, close to tears.

"Hey, calm down for now, Mor," Aladdin says after a moment. "I can understand that you are anger because you have experienced a lot of problems. But, the three of us finally got the chance to gather like this. Speaking of which, the moon today is very pretty so, let's talk about some happy things instead!" He smiles widely at everyone. I even smile faintly. He really is amazing. "Right, Alibaba?"

"Y-Yeah!" He grins as well. "Speaking of which, where have you been all this time? Ever since we conquered the seventh dungeon I only got to see this girl. When you didn't come over to find me at all, I almost died worrying about you! Where have you been exactly?" Aladdin begins to laugh at him.

"Hehe," He tries to cover his laugh. "Don't be surprised, alright? I was at a place called the Kouga Village all this time." We all listen to Aladdin as he explains what happened at the grass plains. He talked about the people he met and how he was seen as a member of the family and how he met an important person there. He talked about why that important person died because of war as well as getting closer to solving the mystery of this world. He spoke about his journey from the grass plains to the large desert and everything he saw for the first time as he made his way to Balbadd.

"Woah! To think that so many things happened!" Alibaba says in awe. "It was really a rather exciting adventure!"

"Yeah!" Aladdin nods happily. I smile softly at this. I'm glad he is no longer upset. "Also, to be able to find you in this country I ended up needing to help out in arresting the members of the Fog Troupe. Although I didn't think that you were one of them. I believe that you must have your own reasons for being with them. So, please tell me the reason for why you decided to join the Fog Troupe." I narrow my eyes a little at him. I see. He made Alibaba and everyone else comfortable so we would talk openly.

Alibaba is quiet for a minute before deciding to speak. "Aladdin, do you still remember what I told you in the seventh dungeon? But before that, could you listen to me about a friend of mine?"

"Sure! Of course!" Aladdin nods

"His name is Cassim."

"Cassim?"

"Yeah. He's the real leader of the Fog Troupe. He's the one who created the Fog Troupe. But, it seems like he has always wanted me to be the Leader."

"What sort of relationship does he have with you?" Aladdin questions.

"It's very similar to the relationship between you and Ugo," He smiles faintly. "Yes, Cassim and I have been friends since long ago. Although we often fought with each other, in reality we were the best of friends. We'd run around junkyard street, together, every day," He smiles fondly at the memories. "But, not everything was the same for the both of us. I had a kind and gentle Mother. My mother was a harlot in the slums quarters. In the evening, I would return to my mother's lap. She was a cheerful person, so I was always happy."

"That sounds really nice," Aladdin smiles.

He nods slowly before continuing. "But for Cassim, it was different," He suddenly frowns at the thought. "His father was a worthless man. His father would often hit them and say awful things, but when my mother saw that she instantly ran to help them. After that, my mother held Cassim and his sister as if they were her own children. To be honest I was a little jealous. I thought my mother had been stolen from me. And, after that day, Cassim's father disappeared from the slums. We don't know if he abandoned his family and ran away or hung himself somewhere to die, but anyway, it was mentioned a lot in the slums. So, in the end, my mother adopted Cassim and his sister. We became a family of four."

"A family must have been lively," Aladdin comments. Both Mor and Aladdin smiling fondly at him.

"Yea. It was lively and fun. And it was Cassim who changed that lifestyle. He always stole. One day, he was caught by the old man at the store. My mother bowed down and took the punishment for him. She said it was the responsibility of the parent to do so. As expected, Cassim behaved himself after that incident but Mother died one day because of an illness. That day was a really sad one. I was still a kid then. I was lonely, anguished, and I didn't even know the reason why, but Cassim never cried. Because he was a year older than me, he took the role of an older brother. For the three of us who were left behind, as brats we combined our strength and really did our best. Life took a better turn from then. My mother's customers and our neighbors helped us out. We also did all sorts of work but Cassim used the wrong methods for survival. He went back to stealing. Moreover, as before, he used the bad kids in the streets in a showy way. Cassim was probably driven to desperation to secure our survival. That led to a day when I asked him if I should give him a hand. He told that I didn't have to do such things because I was different from him. He said he was a villain down to his boots, that he was like his father and I was like my mother. Cassim seemed a little weird that day. I remember it even now," He falls silent as he relives his old memories.

"Alibaba... what happened after that?" Aladdin questions hesitantly

"A few days later, something even more odd happened. The Kind of Balbadd came to the slums. It was really shocking that he would do such a thing and above that I was his son and I was to live in the palace."

"Y-You," I stammer in shock. Aladdin and Morgiana were silenced by shock. He nods slightly, confirming my thoughts. He's a prince…

"I said that it couldn't be possible My mother was a harlot, so no one could ever know whose child I was. But, according to the King, my mother used to work at the palace as a maid and it seems like that is where I was sired by the King. I didn't know what was going on, but I couldn't find a reason to get away. I was just a roach in the slums and the other party was a King. Anyway, I discussed it with Cassim. It didn't matter to me that the King's men told me not to tell anyone that I was a prince because Cassim was my family. I was so sure they'd stop me from going back to the slums, and besides, Cassim would also want to stay together with me. I was wrong though. He told me that he knew it. That this was the reason why I shouldn't be his friend, why I was so different from him. He said to hurry up and go wherever I wanted to go. I beat Cassim up, beat him really badly. And like that, I said goodbye to the slums. From that day, my life changed completely. Just by taking a bath and putting nice clothes on, I was suddenly a prince. But, after that day a difficult life awaited me. I was a dirty brat from the slums and those people in the palace who saw me that way stared coldly at me. Especially the princes Abhmad and Sahbmad, who looked at me as if I were a piece of trash. Even the person who brought me in, the King, ignored me completely when we were in the palace. I was lonely. On top of that I had to go through intense training and lessons daily. I had to learn how I should walk, speak, and eat. I also had to learn swordsmanship. After doing my best, the stares I had been getting soon started to disappear."

"Isn't that a good thing though, Alibaba?" Aladdin tilts his head in wonder.

"It was at first, but one day I wanted to have a look at the slums. When I got there though, the slums were gone. There was no trace of it or of the people who had lived there. Not a single soul was there. At a loss I had no choice but to return to the palace. At that moment Cassim showed up. Why did I meet Cassim at that time, I wonder? If only I hadn't escaped from the castle... if only I hadn't met Cassim at that time then that incident might not have happened."

"That incident?" Aladdin questions in confusion.

"I told you about it before, didn't I? About the time I slipped up very badly. After all that time he had changed quite a bit, but that just had to be him. Cassim looked surprised, wearing a bizarre expression as if he'd met a dead person. Because of the way we had parted, I hesitated to speak first. He seemed like he was really happy to see me. At the time, I didn't know what was going on in his mind. To be frank, talking to him was fun and nostalgic. But now, as I recall, I realize he had a moment when his eyes were filled with darkness. On that day, from the moment he met me, he had made a decision. That he would cause that incident to happen," Alibaba looks down towards his lap, his hand clenched tightly together in silent anger.

"Alibaba," Aladdin mumbles with a sad look on his face.

"Before long he invited me to go get a drink. I didn't know the meaning of those words, because we weren't even of age yet. But it wasn't vexing. I felt that he was more mature than me and so I followed him. And then I found out that he was a regular of that shop. One frightening adult after another was bowing to a brat like him. As I gave him a closer look, it seemed that he was surrounded with money. He said we should toast to our reunion, but I had to ask him something. I wanted to know what he had been doing all that time I was locked up in the castle. I asked where his younger sister, Mariam, and the rest of the people in the slums were. He told me the slums didn't exist anymore and that they had been chased out of the country. After that he said we should stop talking about such depressing things and began to tease me about not even having a sip of my drink yet. Of course, I ended up drinking the whole thing to prove that I could drink," He smiles faintly at the old memory. "During the three years in the royal palace, I had learned many things. Literature, swordplay, but Cassim had also learned thing that I hadn't been taught yet."

As I was listening to him I noticed something was different about the rukh in the room. Some of it didn't belong to any of us here. Slowly, so no one would notice, I look towards the door to my left. My eyes narrow at the I see. The rukh of my father, Ja'far, and Masrur are just on the other side. They're listening in. I wonder if I should say anything since this is a private matter. I shake my head before looking towards Alibaba again. No, I can't do that. Father is already disappointed in me. I can't make that any worse, and besides, we need to know this information to defeat the Fog Troupe.

"Acting, drinking, how to follow-up on a comment. In short, a guy well-equipped with social skills for the adult world. Our conversation began with talking about the past. I got carried away with the atmosphere and went blabbering on and on. Cassim was complaining that Mariam was foolish and troubling him. I laughed at that but I was the most foolish there. As our conversation about the past was about to end he had asked me about how I escaped from the palace. I told him I dug a tunnel just like I used to do as a kid. I spoke about it with pride. Although the walls looked solid from the outside, the interior was different. Just a little, the crevices in the walls were beginning to give way. I told him how I made the opening bigger, creating tunnels within the palace walls. Cassim held me in admiration. I never told him where the walls were weak. Though I was drunk, I had at least that much discretion. Cassim didn't have to hear that much. But, Cassim didn't need to hear that."

"He followed you, back didn't he?" I question in a blank voice.

He nods sadly. "Yea. He had someone trail me. How stupid I was," He mumbles, holding his head in shame and disappointment.

"Alibaba," Aladdin sounds close to tears for his dear friend. I can tell he wanted to reach out to him, but he doesn't.

"After that reunion with Cassim, a period of peace followed. As usual, lessons were straining, but something was unbounded in me and I could tackle anything that came my way. And then, one day, the King summonsed me. The King had grown too weak due to a one-year chronic disease and passed his authority to his eldest son, Ahbmad. Then the King say that he didn't have much longer to live and that the country couldn't remain as it was. Our main trading partner, Paltevia, was in a recession, so we switched to the Kou Empire from the north-east, which intervened with our economy by smuggling weapons."

My eyes widen slightly. The Kou Empire was involved for this long?

"The envoy of the Kou Empire had been exerting influence on Ahbmad around that time and he even meddled in matters of internal politics. Ahbmad was a lazy person, though, and thought it was troublesome. His submission to the envoy was what concluded things. The King told me that he would like to leave the country to me. I was shocked. Was he telling me to be King? Even though I was only a kid from the slums and fully incompetent. The King explained it to me. About this country being in a critical situation and how we could not feel at ease handing the country's politics over to Ahbmad and Sahbmad who had been taught by his late legal wife. When he had explained everything, I made a request that he hear one thing I had to say. I asked him what he thought of my mother. My mother's name was Anise. He said that he couldn't be with her but that he did love her. I thanked him for that. It was the first time my true feelings gushed out and that I could fully accept that the King was my father. In the end I told him I was unable to accept what he had asked. The whole thing had tensed me up a lot, but that was also when I resolved to devote myself to this Kingdom. But, that was my last meeting with the King."

So, this is when the King had died. The King died because of Alibaba and that's why he left. It's all making sense now. He came back and ended up joining the Fog Troupe to help this Kingdom in his own way.

"That night the incident happened, still thinking heavily about the conversation I had with the King during the day, I slipped out of my bed, going towards the place below the palace where the walls were weak. That night was a totally dark one, without a moon. The light of the stars was barely enough for me to navigate my surroundings and there he was. Yes, it was Cassim. I was shocked. Even though I was shocked I asked him if he had come to have some fun, but of course that wasn't the case. One after another, people I didn't know appeared behind him. I recognized a few of their faces. They were Cassim's group of bandits from the slums. Cassim came into the palace accompanied with that bunch of people to steal from it. I wondered why. Exactly why did this happen? It was because I didn't grasp a hold of Cassim's true nature. As if it was fine, I drank and blabbered. When things were going well, I thought I would devote myself to this country, but in reality, I'd be piling all the responsibility on myself. And at that moment, I didn't move a single step. I didn't want anything to happen to Cassim or the palace. Not being able to choose one or the other, the coward that I was. I was knocked out. The last thing I heard was the sound of flames, voices of confused escapees.

"So that's what had happened," I mumble more to myself than anyone.

"Yeah, then the next morning the King had passed away. It was the first thing I heard when I woke up. The cause of death was his illness, but the night before had certainly hastened its progression. I felt like I caused his death. Because I was scared, I escaped Balbadd on that very day. And with that, the story of my time in Balbadd ended."

My eyes twitches slightly when I hear my father mumbling on the other side of the door. Ja'far soon starts to try to scold him, but it does nothing.

"I headed south after I left Balbadd and earned a small living at the city near the oasis. I was happy passing my days without being bounded. It was also around that time that I started to plan for dungeon diving, which I had longed for quite some time. Soon after that, I met you, Aladdin," Alibaba smiles at Aladdin.

"After that you captured the seventh dungeon. But, I still don't understand," Morgiana starts. "If Cassim had betrayed you, then why did you still join his Fog Troupe?" I nod in agreement. I was also beginning to wonder that.

"Since I've already captured a dungeon, I decided to return to Balbadd afterwards, in order to settle things and carry out the promise I've made with Aladdin. Which is why, before I continue to take new steps, I wanted to return to the palace to reveal the truth of that incident. However, when I got here, I was appalled at the condition of Balbadd. You won't be able to tell from here, but, the condition of Balbadd near the borders is too horrible to even look at. Entire streets filled with people suffering from hunger. What exactly had happened to this country? Then, I heard a rumor from someone. That there was a group of people who was actively opposing the country's military and that they were actually Cassim's Fog Troupe. After that rumor, I decided that if I wanted to settle things, I'd have to find Cassim first. A rogue nearly immediately brought me to Cassim when I paid him. And there was Cassim, who I hadn't met in a long time.

"Cassim!" Morgiana suddenly mutters in anger. I glance at her in surprise. She may keep a blank face, but when she gets upset she shows a lot of emotion.

"You're mistaken. Although Cassim's actions sounded like those of a villain, and I sound like a victim who was fooled repeatedly, it's not all Cassim's or the Fog Troupe's fault. From Cassim, I heard how the country itself had been treating the people in the slums and so I found out I hadn't known anything at all. That he'd actually had his difficulties, too. And so, he revealed the truth to me. That, after I had left the slums, inhumane restrictions had been set on the slums' inhabitants. Among others, restrictions had been placed on usage of residential areas, access to goods and what activities were allowed by the residents. Simply put, people in the slums no longer had access to the daily necessities. Except for doing labor work provided by the government, there was no way out of the slums. In short, the slums became a prison. Soon there was an outbreak of an infectious disease in the slums. The palace offered no help at all. They locked down the slums to keep the disease from spreading. The residents died one by one. Even Mariam," He looks down, frowning deeply. In the end, he asked me to join the Fog Troupe. He said to use my identity as a prince and to be their Leader. So, I joined the Fog Troupe. I want to be able to help him, so I took immediate action. I had them distribute the stolen goods to the residents. As long as we have the support of the resident, the Fog Troupe will not be mere thieves but revels!" Alibaba suddenly stands up tall. "After I get the needed support, I'll reveal my identity and go negotiate with that bastard Ahbmad. Aladdin, I have already decided!"

Aladdin is quiet, simply staring down at his lap in thought. Soon he looks up with a calm look on his face. "Then, if the King is unwilling to accept your advice what will you do? I understand clearly about Alibaba's feelings of wanting to help a close friend. But, if war is declared due to a moment of anger, I believe that many tragic things will occur."

"But... I... I know that!" Alibaba shouts. "B-But is there even another way!? This country's situation is beyond dire right now! There must be something we can do about it, and as soon as possible! I can't ignore those residents who are suffering! That is why I decided to confront the country as it is now, but I also know what you're saying is right! What we did is causing even more refugees! Even if we only fought the military and the nobles, it is true that regular people got hurt too!" He grabs at his head and pulls at his hair in attempt to calm himself. "I-I don't even understand what I'm doing anymore. I'm just too useless." I flinch at that, completely understanding how he feels now. "That's why I didn't want to meet you at this king of time, Aladdin. Please… please leave! Just leave this country!" He screams out his true feeling to Aladdin. I watch silently as Aladdin seems to grab something then a loud thud echoes thought the room. My eyes go wide when Alibaba yelps and grabs the top of his head. "That hurts! What are you doing!?"

"Calm down, Alibaba," Aladdin says in a completely calm voice. "You are making things too complicated, so you can't think about them properly. It is true that the problems this country is facing are difficult for us to solve, but rest assured," Aladdin says confidently as he stands up. He walks over to the now kneeling Alibaba and lays his hands on his shoulders. "I will help you come up with a solution! Let me think with you to come up with a way to help your important friend, too! And there's also Ugo-kun, Mor, and Amir. We can definitely think of a way if we all worked together!" My eyes go wide at this. Crap! Father is going to be so angry if he thinks I'm helping our enemy!

Alibaba stares at Aladdin in awe. "Aladdin, I'm sorry for raising my voice," He looks down slightly.

"It's okay!" Aladdin grins. "It doesn't matter-" Aladdin was cut off when suddenly the window breaks open and we're all thrown back. I groan as I come in contact with the wall.

"Hey. I've been looking for you. I've come to save you, mate."

"Cassim!?" Alibaba yells in surprise. My eyes go wide. Cassim… is here. He's here to attack us in order to save Alibaba.

 _ **Chapter 4**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Cassim! What did you bring so many subordinates for!?" Alibaba shouts. I shakily stand up and grab my staff. I can't lose this time. I refuse to!

"Isn't that obvious!?" Cassim shouts back. "When we found out you had been abducted, we immediately came to save you! According to reports, our enemy has extraordinary skills. That is why I mobilized the whole group!"

"What are you saying!?" Alibaba glares at him.

"So, this is Cassim," Morgiana mumbles softly, staring at Cassim. Aladdin does the same, but silently.

"Aren't you those brats who interfered yesterday!? I see. You're part of the military too, eh?" Cassim raises his weapon. I also raise my own, ready to protect Aladdin no matter what happens.

"You must be Cassim. You're here to take back Alibaba, right?" Morgiana begins to walk forward. She looks back to Alibaba and I can almost feel her cold stare. "Do you want to leave with him, Alibaba?" Suddenly the people in the hotel start screaming in terror.

"Cassim! What are you doing!? I've never heard of the Fog Troupe attacking a hotel!" Alibaba yells at Cassim.

"You idiot! If we don't do it thoroughly, we'll be the ones to die! Our enemy is that Sinbad!" My eyes go wide in disbelief. He knows of my father and yet he still attacked this place!? How foolish can he be!?

"Cassim, when you mentioned Sinbad... did you mean that Sinbad!?"

"I'll tell you later! There's no time!" Cassim rushes forward and grabs Alibaba. Out of the corner of my eye I see Morgiana leap forward to attack him, but misses. Alibaba had pushed him away. So, he's still the enemy after everything we just talked about?

"What!? Is that girl a monster!?"

"Just run Cassim!" Alibaba yells. Both of them begin to run in the direction of the stairs. Morgiana, Aladdin, and I quickly chase after them.

"Attacking this hotel's innocent guests! The nature of a thief is hard to change but let me take care of that!" Morgiana yells in anger and begins to run even faster up the stairs.

"Wait, Mor!" Aladdin calls out for her to stop, but she doesn't listen. Aladdin and I reach finally reach the top, both of us panting.

"Come, monster girl!" Cassim taunts her. "I'll stop you with the black fog again!" Before Morgiana could even take one step a person breaks through the ground. When the dust clears I recognize Masrur, Ja'far, and my father's rukh. I sigh in relief, but don't dare relax just yet.

"Are you alright, Aladdin?" My father asks. I frown a little at that before shaking it off.

"Mister Sinbad!" Aladdin shouts in shock.

"More strange people appeared!?" Some of the Fog Troupe members shout in fear.

"They're merely trying to scare us! Go, everyone!" Cassim orders.

"There's quite a lot of them. Masrur!" Father commands.

"Understood," Masrur nods firmly. He takes a deep breath and moves into a strange stance before he shoots forward. He appears again behind Cassim. Many of the Fog Troupe members begin to collapse from the unknown attack.

"Masrur, you overdid it!" Father scolds lightly. "Use less power next time."

"You… who are you?" Cassim asks my father in pure rage.

"What? Wasn't I the one you were looking for?" He asks in a calm voice. If I'm not mistaken, I could even hear a faint smile in his voice.

"So, you're Sinbad. It's you who provoked us first!" Cassim yells, his rage pouring out. "Take this, Kokurkaku Mutou!" Black rukh surrounds him, before flying towards my father. I shout out a warning, but Father doesn't even bother to dodge the black rukh.

"That's the black rukh from yesterday!" Ja'far yells at my father from afar.

"Ah, so this is the thing that caused you to be captured yesterday."

"Don't move or your boss loses his life!" Cassim yells at us. His men move forward to attack. My eyes go wide as we're surrounded and I quickly take note that one is sneaking up behind Aladdin. I panic and ignore all the ones around me. I have to protect him.

When the man raises his sword to cut him down, I quickly raise my own staff. I gather water as quickly as I can before I shout a spell to stop the man in his tracks. "Thalg Al-Salos!" I yell and a huge shard of ice appears above me. Everyone around us stops to watch in fear. The shard cracks and begins to break into many smaller pieces before raining down on the man that tried to hurt Aladdin. Aladdin yells out in surprise before turning around to see the now frozen man. I sigh in relief, but soon regret it when I notice the man behind me too late. I quickly try to run, but only yell out in pain as the sword grazes my back.

"Alright, that's enough of this," My father begins to speak, unknowingly saving my life. Everyone stops to look at him. Most of the Fog Troupe just laughs at him for thinking he could do anything now that he was in that black fog. Father just smirks before a light surrounds him and the black fog fades away into thin air.

"The black fog dissolved? How can that be!?" Cassim yells in shock and fear.

"Amir!" I jump slightly when Aladdin shouts my name, his voice thick with worry. He makes it to my side and grabs hold of my arm. "Are you okay!?" He moves around me to see my back.

"I-I'm fine Aladdin," I smile faintly at him. I can feel him staring at my back in shock. I know I'm hurt and in pain, but I can't help but to smile softly at him. He cares about me and that's all I could ask for. I'd save him over and over as long as he cares about me afterwards.

"We told you, didn't we?" Ja'far chuckles lightly. "Sinbad, the King of the Seven Seas, is already used to seeing mysterious powers!" He says proudly to everyone around him.

"A magical item of this level is useless against me," Father smirks at Cassim. "What's wrong? No more cards to play?"

"Damn!" Cassim mutters and Alibaba makes his way to his side. My eyes narrow at him. So, he does intend to help Cassim after everything he did.

"With this, I've fulfilled my promise to Abhmad. How's that, Ja'far? Didn't I say I'd do it somehow?" Father continues to smirk at Ja'far.

"Yes, you're right," Ja'far sighs in defeat and somewhat annoyance.

"Now, as long as I hand you over to the military my job is done," Father suddenly grows serious as he gazes coolly at Alibaba. "Isn't that right, Wonder Man Alibaba?"

 _ **Sinbad's Pov**_

"As long as I defeat you, everything will end," I raise my swords towards Alibaba. "Wonder Man Alibaba, draw your sword! Let's settle this between us, as Leaders. I won't mind if you use it. After all, you're a dungeon capturer, aren't you?"

"Please wait! Alibaba is," Morgiana starts to run towards us, but Ja'far cuts her off.

"Alibaba, run! Run away!" Cassim begins to yell. "Brothers!" He turns towards some of his men. "Take our Leader and escape from here!"

"Ah, prioritizing the Leader's life? That's also another way of doing things. What are you going to do Alibaba? Are you going to fall back for the time being?" I question him. "Well either way, the Fog Troupe is already done for. The one controlling the group is this guy, isn't it!?" I use my sword to point to Cassim. "It's okay, Alibaba. You can run if you want. Think about it carefully. You aren't like these people. They are residents of the slums. You may look like a comrade on the surface, but, in reality, isn't it the opposite? You're different from them. That's because you are a prince."

"Shut up!" Alibaba suddenly yells at me. Did I finally push him far enough? "That doesn't mean anything to me! I'm no different from them! We are all from the same place and they are my brothers! I won't allow you to insult the bonds between us!" He declares strongly. "Stern and dignified spirits of etiquette. In the name of my magic, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members. Come forth, Amon!" He raises his sword up as he yells out his commend. Flames burst out and surround him, burning away everything, it touches. I watch him closely, waiting for him to make a move. He soon charges me with incredible speed.

So, this is the Balbadd Palace's fencing style. He actually has some pretty good moves. He suddenly kicks my sword from my hands when I blocked his own blade. I just stand there, watching him as he comes down on me. When he gets close enough I grab his wrist that is holding the blade. The flames begin to disappear and panic quickly takes over his face. I pull him down and hit him in the back of the head. He falls to the ground, stunned.

"As I expected," I start, looking down at him from where he lays. "Alibaba, you really don't know how to use a djinn properly! And that decided it. I'll hand you over to the military.

"I wonder how will King Ahbmad destroy the rest of the Fog Troupe?" Ja'far wonders, watching him struggle to raise.

"We both already know that, Ja'far. No one will be excluded from the fate that awaits them. Only death awaits those who rebelled, but of course, all of them should have been prepared for this," I turn to look at him. Aladdin, Morgiana, and Amir are all right behind him. Morgiana has a look of panic and fear for her friend on her face, but Aladdin doesn't. He just looks calm as he watches what's happening. I wonder why he's so calm?

"This is ridiculous. We only joined for the benefits," A few members begin to speak, fearing for their own well-being. I watch as these members turn and run away, until barely any are left.

"My Fog Troupe," I hear Cassim whisper in shock.

"So, you really are the one who created the Fog Troupe," I say to him, walking closer to the boy before me. "Revolting with indignation. Are you planning to die? Without planning, all this is foolishness."

"There was planning!" He shouts, glaring up at me from where he kneels. "We've never lost to the military!"

"That was because you could rely on information leaked by the military," I glare down at him. "You don't even know how weak you actually are. You're too foolish! The Fog Troupe is weak! It's so weak that I alone am enough to destroy it! You are only involving your friends in a battle you have no hope of winning and that will only end in mutual destruction!" I stand over him as he looks up at me in fear.

"Damn it!" Cassim yells, slamming his fist into the ground.

"Please, watch carefully. I hate to say this, but this is the future that awaits virtuous thieves," Ja'far speaks softly to Morgiana and Aladdin. "Their future holds only death."

"But!" I suddenly shout to cut Ja'far off.

"What?" Ja'far mumbles in confusion. I can't help but to smirk a little.

"If you really are determined to rise up against the King then there still remains an option open to you. Namely, to borrow the strength of others to make up for what you are lacking now. In short, let me become your comrade by joining your Fog Troupe!" I declare.

"Ehh!?" Ja'far gasps, eyes wide with disbelief.

"This will benefit you greatly. As that means your Fog Troupe will be able to receive help from my country, Sindria," I explain to them.

"Wait, Father!" I turn towards Amir, glaring a little at him. "You can't honestly mean this?" He stumbles forward as he tries to walk to me. My eyes narrow as I take in how badly he's hurt. For a split second, worry overtook my features. "This is too problematic, we were supposed to capture the Fog Troupe. Didn't we come to an agreement with King Abhmad that he'll reopen trade if we capture the Fog Troupe?"

"Yes, well now I want to help them," I answer my only son.

"You are contradicting yourself!" Ja'far yells at me. "Didn't you say no matter the reason, thieving is wrong!?

"Ja'far, how coldblooded can you be!?" I yell back to him, pointing my finger at him as I do.

"W-What!?"

"Thieving is always wrong!? I was naive! You know what has happened, don't you? The miserable condition this country is in. Starving mothers, young girls armed with weapons, a corrupt nobility. You've already seen it all! Don't you have any compassion!? Are you not human!?"

"Of course, I feel the same!" He grabs his head as he admits this. "Why did I become the bad guy here?" He mumbles.

"You see!? After seeing the state of this country, and that stupid, selfish King, I thought this. I would rather help these people who clearly know that they don't stand a change, but still won't give up fighting for what little they have!"

"I see," Amir says softly. I turn to look at him. He slowly turns his head to Aladdin who is helping him stand. He nods firmly, staring right at the young magi. "Alright. I agree with everything you've said, Father." My eyes widen a little before I smirk.

"Well?" I turn back to the Fog Troupe. "Do you want my help?" Everyone stares at me in shock as I raise my sword high above my head. "Then let me join your Fog Troupe!" Everyone begins to mumble among themselves.

"What's wrong, Aladdin?" Morgiana asks. I turn to see what they are doing. The boy is grinning at me.

"Mister Sinbad is so interesting, although he is a weird person, I know he'll definitely become really famous in the future!" I grin back before turning to the people surrounding me. "I wonder, had he already planned all of this from the start?"

"I'm sure he did," Amir speaks softly, nodding slowly. "That's just how Father is."

"I see. Well anyway, whenever Mister Sinbad speaks, the people around him will be unable to ignore him."

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"With a rising population of refugees and a blow to its economy, this country has suffered enough. This is why this time, I want to solve one of the abnormalities of the world, the civil strife within Balbadd. How does this reason sound, Alibaba?" Father stands in front of Alibaba, smiling slightly at him. He's always so confident, always getting his way with everything.

"Don't be fooled by him!" Cassim suddenly yells.

"Cassim?" Alibaba looks at him in shock.

"I won't be fooled. As a King, how can he just commit himself to be our comrade? All you royalty and superior people are just bastards that trample on inferior people to survive!" He points at my father. "You're actually just eager for us filthy, poor, and inferior people to die from starvation and rot aren't you!? You just want to live your lives in luxury. Sinbad," He gets cut off when Ja'far throws his dagger at him. It cuts his cheek as it goes by. "W-What!?"

"Shut up," Ja'far speaks coldly to him. "You have no idea what Sinbad has gone through all this time. How much he has to sacrifice for others," He walks over to him and grabs him by his shirt. He raises his dagger and my eyes widen at what he's about to do. I've never seen Ja'far like this. Just as he goes to end Cassim, my father grabs the blade with his bare hand to stop it.

"Ja'far, stop this," He orders calmly. Ja'far jerks back in shock and shame.

"M-My apologies!" He shutters, looking down.

"It's okay," Father smiles at him.

"Okay. I'll listen to you," Alibaba speaks up. "So, what do we do now!?"

"You're willing to let me join? Thanks," Father begins to wrap his bleeding hand. Bleeding… that's right. I'm bleeding too. I completely forgot with everything going on. How could I forget?

"Ja'far can be scary," Aladdin mumbles softly, still holding me upright.

"Sometimes," Masrur agrees from beside him.

"H-Hey Aladdin," I mumble softly. I don't think he hears me. I look down and notice the blood that has stained my clothes. They feel soaked and heavy. How has no one noticed this? Ja'far or Masrur… even Aladdin doesn't care about me enough to notice this don't they? I look at Aladdin again, before the rukh begins to fade away from my sight. My eyes go wide. This has never happened before! What's going on!? I begin to panic. My breathing picks up and I grab at my chest. "W-What's happening?" I gasp before falling to my knees. Everything is so dark… so dark.

"Amir!" Aladdin shouts in worry. He quickly kneels beside me. "H-He's bleeding really bad," He whimpers. I hear more people coming closer. Who are they? Why can't I see the rukh?

"Amir, just breathe okay?" I hear my father's voice right beside me. After a moment I feel his arms gently wrap around me. I continue to gasp for air through all this. The way he's acting isn't really helping either. What the hell is happening to me!? Why can't I see!? What's wrong with my dad!? "Amir, just calm down. We'll fix you up," I hear him whisper softly to me. He's acting like he did when I was little. Slowly, my breathing evens out and my body relaxes as my eyes close. This is what I've always wanted. My dad is finally back.

 _ **Sinbad's**_ __ _ **Pov**_

"Ja'far, come help me treat his wound," I order him as I quickly make my way back into the destroyed hotel. I look down at Amir before sighing. This is all my fault. Right now, with him hurt, I can barely even remember why I became so bitter towards him. I quickly find a room that hasn't been destroyed and lay him on the bed inside of it before removing his ruined shirt. Ja'far quickly comes to my side to help.

"He's lost a lot of blood," He mumbles to himself as he begins to clean the wound on Amir's back. All I can do is watch as he takes care of him. Why did I let this happen? What's Yamuraiha going to think about all this?

 _ **Chapter 5**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I woke up to nothing but darkness and silence. My eyes go wide in panic. I quickly try to sit up only to fall back groaning in pain.

"Amir?" I hear Aladdin's voice. I quickly try to find him. Why can't I find his rukh? I look around widely, not even caring if he thinks I'm going crazy. I suddenly feel his hand on my shoulder as he gently pushes me to lay back down. "You need to stay laying down or you'll reopen your wound."

"W-Where are you?" I whisper, grabbing his hand that's on my shoulder to reassure myself that he is real. My eyes dart around the room to try to find the lights I grew to love.

"I knew it," He mumbles. "You can see, can't you Amir?" I freeze, my mind going blank. "It's okay to tell me you know? We're friends after all!" I can hear his grin as he says that. He isn't mad? He isn't disappointed in me for hiding it?

"How?" I whisper through my shock.

"I just had a feeling that you could," He shrugs lightly. "I noticed the way you would look at certain things. You also didn't move like a blind person would."

"I see," I slowly lift my arm up, trying to find his face. I find nothing but air until he takes my hand and moves it towards him. When my fingers touch his cheek, I flinch back for a moment before gently laying my hand on his cheek. This is the first time that I've actually touched him.

"Will you tell me how?" He mumbles, leaning into my hand slightly.

"I-I can't," I begin to pull my hand away, but he doesn't let me. He sets his over it and holds both of our hands there. I relax when he does that. I never realized how nice it feels to hold someone else, to touch someone.

"Alright," He nods. "I won't make you, but why did you freak out when you woke up?"

"B-Because," My voice begins to shake a little as I remember the darkness. He actually made me forget about it. "Because I can't see… It's dark," I can feel him frown a little.

"Amir, are you scared of the dark?" He questions me softly. I nod slowly, my cheeks growing a little red. I've always hated admitting that. I've always been afraid of the dark, but it's worse now than when I was younger. Back then I'd always say it was something else to my father or Yam so they wouldn't think I was acting like a child with a silly fear. "Well you don't need to be when I'm here. I'll be your light," He smiles softly. I stare in his direction, my eyes wide. Slowly, my eyes begin to tear up before they silently slide down my face. "H-Hey, what's wrong!?" He panics.

"N-Nothing's wrong," I smile at him. "It's just… you're the first person in a very long time to be so nice to me other than Yam. I-I'm happy," I whisper the last part and look away quickly to try and hide my bright red face. He laughs softly at me.

"It's okay to be happy. There's no reason to be embarrassed," He gently sits on the edge of the bed. Slowly, I begin to fall asleep. I drift off soundly as I listen to his even breathing and for once the dark didn't bother me one bit.

 _ **Aladdin's Pov**_

I sigh softly as I watch Amir sleep. It's hard to believe that he is hiding that he can see. I wonder why he would do that? Maybe it has to do with Mister Sinbad. A soft knock on the door draws my attention away from Amir. I stand up carefully so I don't wake him before walking to the door. I open it to see Morgiana and Alibaba.

"Hey, Aladdin," Alibaba mumbles, looking down. I frown at him. Things must have gone badly.

"Come on in and we can talk, but we have to quietly," I whisper to them. Once we're all inside the room I go back to Amir's side. I don't know why, but I just don't feel comfortable leaving him alone right now.

"How is he doing?" Mor asks softly.

"He's fine. He woke up earlier for a few minutes." She nods before turning to Alibaba with a sad look.

"So, Alibaba, how did the negotiations go?" I tilt my head as I look at him.

"I couldn't say anything at all. Ahbmad didn't even see me as a human at all. I did what I could, but the results are still the same." I shake my head, smiling at him.

"That's not true, Alibaba. You can hear it too right?" I point towards the window where you can hear the members of the Fog Troupe and citizens are talking. "Just you daring to face the King for negotiations, has already moved this many people. The things you've done aren't for nothing. Didn't you change some things today?"

"Thank you, Aladdin," He smiles weakly at me.

"What do we do next? I believe we'll have to break the new to the Fog Troupe and the people outside," Morgiana says as she looks at the crowds through the window.

"But the negotiations failed," Alibaba groans and holds his head in his head. "I don't really know how to start." We all look towards the door when it opens.

"Please follow me," Ja'far says softly to not wake Amir. "Sin said that we're going to announce today's negotiations to the members of the Fog Troupe." We all silently nod before quietly following him to the clearing. I frown a little because I had to leave Amir alone. "Please step forward, Leader," Ja'far lightly pushes Alibaba to stand next to Sinbad on the boulders.

"Everyone, let me say this straight. The negotiations today have failed," Mister Sinbad tells everyone in a strong voice. "The opposite party completely rejected our offer. The differences between us and the military are already a decided reality." Everyone begins to mumble among themselves

"It's over," One member says in a broken voice.

"What do you mean by it's over? To begin with, for what reasons did you even fight for? To escape from poverty, to feed you family, or you may not have such a noble reason at all. However, for all your reason, after all those acts of theft, for the first time today you've had a negotiation with the King face-to-face. You guys… towards the people who mistreat you…for the first time have fought fairly! You have protested from a dignified position! Remember the reasons for your actions! Don't forget it! Is there still anyone down there thinking that it's the end, today?" Mister Sinbad asks the crowd. No one replies. "Good. If that is so, I'll lend you all my strength. I'll defeat whoever they send and if you're chased out of this country, I'll accept you as my citizens!"

"Sin if we admit any more refugees, Sindria is going to suffer an economic crisis!" Ja'far comes up behind me and harshly whispers in my ear.

"I'll take care of those things," I grin at him. "The world is filled with many unreasonable things. Admitting those who suffer from such, that's the reason why my country was built." I smile at Mister Sinbad. He truly is an amazing man, even if I still don't understand why he acts the way he does towards Amir.

"How amazing," Mor whispers softly in awe.

"Yeah, so that's a King," Alibaba smiles at Mister Sinbad. "Aladdin, you've made an extraordinary friend!"

"Ah-ha, so this is where that stupid King ran to?" A dark voice says from above us. "Let me join in the fun too," He sings before grinning at us. "Hey Sinbad!" He yells loudly to catch his attention. Sinbad has a look of shock and horror on his face. Just who is this man? "Hey, stupid King! What are you doing here?" He begins to walk towards us.

"Judal, were you sent under Ahbmad's orders? Or did the Kou Empire send you?" Sinbad stares at the man before him with a cold look in his eye.

"Huh?" The man named Judal tilts his head. He suddenly laughs. "No, no! It's nothing like that! To tell you the truth, those things don't matter to me at all!"

"What do you plan to do with this country?" Mister Sinbad glares at him openly now.

"Who knows?" He shrugs without a care. "I don't have a single bit of interest about all those things about the economy that the old man talks about." He rubs the back of his neck before giving Sinbad a cold smile. "Sinbad, you should know right? What I truly like is war!" My eyes widen. He likes war? "The Kou Empire is strong! Having countless amounts of soldiers, dungeon captures as generals, and even dungeon monsters as part of the army! Aren't they awesome!?"

"You!" Mister Sinbad growls lowly at him.

"Ja'far, do you know him?" I turn towards the man beside me. He nods slightly.

"He is Judal, and he has a long history of accumulated hatred with us. What's more, Aladdin he's the same as you, a Magi.

"Magi!?" I turn back to the man.

"Oh! You shouldn't misunderstand! The one whom I want to work together with the most is you, Sinbad! I just can't stand the emperor of the Kou Empire. That's why, you should cut it out and partner with me in attaining world domination!" Judal offers his hand to Mister Sinbad with a wide grin.

"I have repeated myself many times already. I won't be your puppet."

"Then again, who are these bunch of people? Gathering in droves," He looks over the crowd as he speaks but stops mid-sentence when his eyes land on me. "Hmm? Who's this guy? Hey Sinbad, the rukh around this guy is weird. Who is he exactly?" He points at me. I gulp silently at this. He's actually kind of scary.

"…He's the same as you, a Magi," Mister Sinbad sighs.

"What!? This chibi is a Magi!" He gets up in my face as he yells. "No way!" He stands back up before slamming his fist into his chest. "Magi are supposed to be amazing beings! When rukh was sent out to change the world, they're considered the strongest magic users with the largest around of magoi in the creation of the world! That's Magi!" He bends down to get in my face again. "How can you tell me to accept the fact that there are other Magi besides myself!?"

"…Precisely because he is a Magi, you even responded to him," Mister Sinbad crosses his arms with an annoyed look. Judal turns back to be with a blank face before grinning brightly.

"Hello, Chibi! I'm Judal, you are?"

"I-I'm Aladdin," I answer, looking up at him. He stretches his hand out to me.

"So, you're Aladdin. As fellow Magi, let's get along well from now on!" I look at him hand before slowly moving to take it. Before I could take it, his hand curls into a fist and lands right in the center of my face. I cry out quietly and grab my right eye stumbling backwards.

"Hey, hey, are you saying that this slow guy is the same as me, a Magi?" Judal laughs at me. "Sinbad, don't tell me you've decided to abandon me to work together with that guy?" He gestures to me. Alibaba and Mor come to my side, kneeling beside me.

"He has nothing to do with that! We just happened to meet each other in this country." Mister Sinbad storms up to him.

"Then that's fine but," He turns to me. "Hey, Chibi if you are really a Magi, you should have a candidate to be King by your side, right? There should at least be one or two of them around here. Come on, Chibi! Call out your candidates!" Candidates? "Hey, are you ignoring me?" He sighs dramatically. "Whatever. I'll just find them by myself!" His eyes begin to glow faintly as he looks around. "I've found you!" He points to Alibaba. "Hmm? I seem to remember you. You're that guy that was bullied by Ahbmad earlier today!" He starts to laugh. "You looked so horrid. Then I saw you scream at the top of your lungs, but you were treated like nothing and you even cried in the end when you were called a maggot!" He begins to laugh even harder. We all frown at the Magi before us. "Really? You're such a useless guy."

"He's not useless!" I scream at him.

"Huh?" Judal turns to me, his grin still intact.

"Alibaba is not useless! Because I know it!" I stand up and glare at him. "He knew right from the beginning that he might not be recognized but for the sake of others, he put aside his fears to do something that no one has dared to do. He is a brave person! There's no way he is a useless person!"

"Aladdin," Alibaba whispers in shock.

"Hmph. Chibi is this guy really a candidate for King that's worth such high hopes? I don't see it," He mumbles as he pulls out a wand. "I don't see it at all!" He yells before hitting Alibaba in the stomach with a large amount of rukh.

"Urgh!" Alibaba groans as he hits the wall. He quickly holds his stomach in pain.

"Look! He's way too weak!"

"Judal!" Mister Sinbad yells at him.

"Sinbad! Why did you mingle with these boring people!? Did you become even stupider!?" Judal yells at him. I glare and pull my own wand out. I begin to summon the rukh to me, causing a bright light to surround me. Judal turns to me and smirks. "Heh, so you're going to do it?" What's even happening? I have had this feeling since I first saw this person. Although I didn't really understand it at first. However, I understand clearly now! I have to stop this person at all costs!

"You look eager to fight, don't you!?" Judar grins.

"I don't want to fight with you, but if you intend to hurt us again, then I will stop you," I glare at him as I get into a stance.

"Stop it! The both of you!" Sinbad orders us. Judal smirks before turning to him with a cold glare.

"Shut up, Sinbad. This is a fight between Magi. Normal people have no right to interfere. Anyway, it's not like you can stop me now. I've seen it just now… you don't even have a metal vessel on you now!"

"He's right. I can't stop him right now. Masrur!" He yells for the Finalist.

"Understood," The said man nods before shooting forward. He goes to land a kick on Judal who just smirks at him. His leg connects with his borg, barely cracking it. My eyes widen at this. He jumps back to Sinbad's side. "As I thought, we can't use our household vessels now."

"Damn it!" Sinbad glares at Judal.

"Okay then, let's start Chibi Magi," Judal spins his wand around. This is all just a silly game to him. "First, let's start off by a competition of firing magoi!"

"Firing magoi?" Morgiana questions in confusion. I watch in shock at the speed of which Judal gathers magoi.

"Alright, let's go!" He grins before shooting the magoi into the surrounding crowd. Everyone begins to scream and run for cover. "Haha! Become full of holes!" I watch as one of the beams of magoi come at me. It connects with the magoi I've gathered only to disappear.

"Ah?" I see Judal tilt his head in confusion. I take advantage of his distraction to throw my attack at him. I watch as it simply disappears like it did with me, not leaving a single scratch on him. "What?" Judal looks over himself. "Oh right," He sighs before looking at me. "Hey Chibi! Let's stop this! Competing with firing magoi is completely meaningless. Since we're Magi, with the protection of the rukh the magoi will only be nullified. I narrow my eyes at him. Nullified...? Is that why it disappeared? "Since that's so let's have a magic battle," He smirks, raising his wand.

"What is he saying? Wasn't that, just now, already a fight using magic!?" One of the members of the Fog Troupe question in panic.

"Tsk," Judal shakes his head in disappointment. "You bunch don't understand at all! This is why I hate talking to amateurs. Let me show you, amateurs!" He raises his wand above his head. "Magoi is created from rukh. It's pure power! The power of just concentrating magoi and firing is not that strong. The most it could do is break a few things like I previously did. However, what if I give an order to the rukhs that produce magoi?" He looks at the magoi at the tip of his wand and it suddenly sparks to life. "It's just as you see! This thunder magic is now completed!" He holds the lightning above his head. I gasp in shock.

"Thunder magic," I gaze at it.

"Aladdin!" Mister Sinbad shouts. "Just to confirm, do you know magic?" I look at him before shaking my head no. "Just as I thought. Rukh causes all the world's natural occurrences by using the energy it produces. In other words, it is the energy the rukhs produce. That causes storms, fires, and thunder in nature and now Judal is using the energy the rukhs produce to create thunder!"

"When are you doing to stop talking," Judal groans. I quickly turn back to him, reading myself. "Here I go!" He throws the lightening at me. My eyes go wide and I quickly gather more magoi and throw it to stop his attack. I yell out in surprise when it goes right through the magoi and straight at me. With no other options, I pull out Ugo-kun's flute.

"Aladdin!" I hear Mister Sinbad yell in alarm.

"Hey, hey. Did you turn into ash after that one attack?" Judal wonders closer before jerking back as the smoke clears. He glares at Ugo-kun who stands behind me. Thankfully, he was able to protect everyone from that attack. I glare at Judal. So, this is a magic battle.

"Hmm, Chibi you've got something interesting there," He tilts his head and smiles. "A huge Djinn body. That's something only us, Magi, can bring out." He grins madly at me. "Very well. I'll recolonize it, that you're a Magi. But, my magic isn't just at that level." I raise my wand as he does. Soon water begins to gather above him. "Balbadd is a city of fog. I can order the rukhs to gather as much water from the air as I want. And then, I can order it again," He holds his wand with both hands in front of his face. Just like that all the water turned into ice. This is just like what Amir did to save me. I stare in shock at the size of the shard. It's a lot bigger than the one Amir made. "My specialty is ice magic!" He begins to float up into the air. I stare with wide eyes. This is insane.

"Why is he flying?" A couple people begin to question from behind Ugo-kun.

"Hehe," Judal grins at me as he chuckles to himself. "How's this!? Isn't it amazing, Sinbad! I had a hard time learning this! But it's still tough for me to do it with long distances." Mister Sinbad clenches his teeth to hold his tongue as he glares at the Magi. "Oh. It's still early for you to be surprised." He points his wand at the ice. It begins to break off into groups of smaller shards. "Take this! Thalg Al-Salos!" The shards begin to rain down on all of us.

"Run!" People begin to scream.

"Ugo!" I yell was a spear flies to us. He quickly breaks it when it gets close enough.

"Hmm, good going there!" Judal grins. "But I still have many spears left! How about this!?" He yells as he throws more of the spears at us.

"Ugo!" I quickly get on top of him as he runs at Judal, dodging all of the spears. He slams his hand down on Judal, making his borg appear to protect him. He's thrown down to the ground causing a cloud of smoke.

"This is a fight between Magi!" Ja'far yells in shock. When the smoke clears, Judal is standing there perfectly fine. I glare down at him. This is going to be hard.

"Haha! He's strong but don't think that you've won with this! I still have ice left," He smirks. My eyes widen and I whirl around to see the spear coming right for me. I gasp when Ugo-kun kneels down causing me to fall off. I look up to see him above me and the spears running him through.

"Ugo!" I scream. Ugo is in trouble! I have to give him more power! I quickly climb back up to where the flute rests where his head would be. I blow into the flute as hard as I can. Ugo-kun begins to slowly stand as I do, the spears falling out. "Ugo," I pant.

"He really is strong, that guy!" Judal gazes a Ugo-kun. "But looks like my attacks were effective. Take a look. Magoi is flowing out from the holes!"

"Why!? Why are you doing this to us!?" I yell at him.

"Why you ask? Now that you've mentioned it… why did we start fighting?" He tilts his head with a confused look. "I forgot! Well, isn't it fine? Let's play, Chibi! You should understand it too since you're a Magi, right?" I frown at him in confusion. "I've so much power that I can't even finish using it! And thanks to that, everything I do feels so boring! But it was a little fun today. That's why I want you to play with me more, Chibi Magi!" What's up with this person? More than that since earlier… Ugo isn't returning to the flute.

 _ **Chapter 6**_

 _ **Aladdin's Pov**_

"That's enough. Return, Ugo! Go back Ugo!" I yell only to be ignored. Ugo won't return to the flute… Why!? This has never happened before! My eyes go wide when Ugo-kun begins to collapse. I'm once again thrown off of him.

"Hey Chibi! Don't tell me it's going to end like this?" Judal starts to walk closer. "Such an opportunity rarely comes around. Let's play some more!" He raises his wand and begins to make more lightning. However, I don't move from Ugo's side.

"Ugo! Get up! Come on Ugo!" I scream at him. I turn to face the lightning when I'm suddenly in someone's arms. I gasp when I see Mor.

"Aladdin, are you alright!? Get a grip!"

"Mor," I mumble softly before nodding.

"Ooh? Chibi, who's that woman? She's amazingly fast," Judal smiles widely at Mor.

"Over here! You crazy bastard!" Alibaba yells as he charges Judal. He swings his blade down on him only to connect with the borg.

"Again? Normal attacks won't work on me," Judal chuckles. Alibaba smirks as well as flames burst from his sword. It cuts through the borg and speeds towards Judal. Judal's eyes go wide in shock as he tries to dodge the close-range attack.

"It got through!" Ja'far yells. Judal stumbles back, grabbing at his face.

"That hurt!" He screams at Alibaba. "I forgot that you were a dungeon capturer," He glares at Alibaba coldly. He raises his wand and aims at Alibaba. No one has any time to act. He attacks and everyone near Alibaba is thrown back. "Nobody is allowed to get in the way. I want to fight as a Magi to my heart's content before killing that Chibi!" My eyes go wide when Ugo is suddenly right behind him.

"Ugo!" I gasp when his forearm comes in contact with Judal's borg. Judal's face twists in pain as he is sent flying. He didn't fly far though. Ugo quickly punches the borg, slamming him into the ground. Judal's borg stretches as far as it could go, nearly completely flat before Ugo's fist slips off of it. Judal stands back up, panting heavily and even bleeding a little.

"W-Wait! What's with this Djinn!?" He shouts before another punch from Ugo lands on his borg. He flies back into the wall. The impact makes a large cloud of dust. Judal soon jumps out of it. "Hey Chibi! That Djinn is unfair! Since earlier you haven't been giving him any magoi!" He makes his way back into the air to escape another punch. "In other words, he's using someone else's magoi to move now! That Djinn isn't yours!" My eyes go wide in shock. What is he saying? Before I could even reply, Judal begins to attack again by firing magoi. I stare wide eyed at it, unable to move. Ugo moves in front of me to protect me yet again. Smokes covers the area as it hits Ugo. I scream when the smoke clears.

"No, Ugo!" I stare at the spear of ice that was driven through his body.

"I won!" Judal smirks in victory. Ugo raises his arms before slamming them together around Judal, like he was trying to clap. Judal yells as he looks for a way out when his borg begins to crack. "No!" He screams right before the borg breaks and he's crushed by Ugo. All I can do is stare in horror along with everyone else. I slowly look from Judal to Ugo. He's leaking magoi from all the holes from the spears.

"A-Amazing," People begin to mutter.

"Ugo!" I yell, running towards him. Just as I reach him he stands up tall and raises his arms above his head. "Ugo!? What are you doing!?" This attack… it's too strong. He could kill everyone here!

"This is bad! Everyone run!" I faintly hear Mister Sinbad yell to everyone.

"It can't be! Ugo stop!" I try again. He simply ignores me.

"Aladdin! Get back!" Mister Sinbad yells. "He's going to use heat magic!" I don't have time to move though. I just stare as Ugo brings his hands down to attack Judal. For a few moments all I could see was a very bright light and I could feel air all around me. My eyes go wide when I realize the blast had thrown me back and high into the air.

"Are you alright?" I hear Mor's voice. I open my eyes to see her arm tightly around me. She saved me again?

"Mor!" I gasp when I notice everyone she was carrying, including Alibaba. "Thank you, you saved me!"

"What about the others from the Fog Troupe!" Alibaba panics as he looks around for them.

"They're fine. Thanks to Sinbad, there doesn't seem to be any victims. Because of his warning, everyone was able to escape quickly," She motions to where everyone went. "But it's already too late for that person," She mumbles, looking back to where Ugo is. Ugo stands tall in the center of a huge crater. The spear is gone, melted by the heat magic. Even more magoi has begun to leak out because of the large hole in the center of his chest.

"Say Aladdin, what happened to Ugo?" Alibaba questions quietly as we stare at Ugo-kun. "He seems to be moving all on his own?"

"I don't know. It's the first time something like this has happened." I look back to Ugo with a pained look. Why Ugo?

"Oh my. What's that? That monster doesn't it look like he bullied our cute little Judal a bit much?" A girl calls from above us. We all quickly turn towards the voice in shock. Judal and several other people are there, floating with the help of a magic turban. "We've managed to save him but he's badly injured," The girl says, staring coldly at us. "Hey Ka Koubun, heal Judal properly. It won't be a joke if he dies."

"Understood, Princess. He is our precious oracle."

"Sin," Ja'far warns.

"Yeah. They're people from the Kou Empire!" Mister Sinbad nods slightly as he watches the people above us.

"The Kou?" I question quietly. My eyes widen when I see Ugo preparing for another attack. "No! Ugo, just stop!"

"What, does that monster still want to fight? Then, I'll become his opponent," The princess smiles lightly.

"Please be careful, Princess," The man named Ka Koubun warns her.

"It's alright, leave it to me. Go and heal Judal," She reaches up to pull the long pin from her hair out. She holds it in front of her like Judal had done with her wand. "Spirits of sorrow and isolation, in the name of my magoi, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members. Come forth, Vinea!" She shouts, raising it above her head as it begins to glow. A dragon made of water surrounds her. "Here I go!" She grins.

"A user of a Djinn metal vessel!" Mister Sinbad yells in shock. Ugo-kun goes in to attack. He jumps high into the air to reach her.

"I'll finish you, you monster!" Ugo goes to grab her as he did Judal but the water surrounding her stops him. "Heat magic… It would have been dangerous if I didn't have the membrane of water." She suddenly glares at Ugo. "I've finally gathered this much water, so don't go evaporating it! You bastard!" She screams as the water surrounds the pen and transforms into a large blue sword.

"What's that!?" I hear Alibaba yell. Ugo goes to attack again and she follows his lead. Water surrounds her sword as she attacks, making it look more like some kind of spear.

"No! Ugo!" I cry out as she runs him through. His body seems to burst before completely disappearing.

"Ka Koubun! How was that!?" She grins and lands gently on the ground.

"As expected from the Princess," He nods slightly at her.

"How's Judal's condition?"

"I'm giving him the emergency treatment now, but we'll need standard facilities for a full recovery."

"Let's not waste any time then," She climbs back onto the magic turban. I glare at her before shooting a ball of magoi at her. She barely managed to dodge it. I quickly pull my own magic turban out to fight on equal grounds.

"Who are you? So repugnant." She looks at me in confusion. "We merely saved you and your comrades from being attacked by the monster."

"You're wrong!" I yell in anger. "Ugo was fighting to protect me, to protect everyone! He was the one who attack first!" I point at Judal.

"I see. So, you're the master of that monster then?" Her gaze suddenly becomes very cold but I don't back down. "Those people down there too are comrades of that monster?"

"What do you plan to do now, Princess?" Ka Koubun asks quietly from behind her.

"We have no choice but to put things in order," She raises her hand. "Enshin, Entai, Engi, get rid of them!" She commands the three large guards behind her. My eyes go wide as they jump down from the turban.

"W-What are these guys!?" Everyone begins to scream. I turn to then, ready to go help.

"I'll take care of this child. You three take care of those trash." I watch in horror as they seem to transform into monster's I've never seen before and attack the people. "From now on I'll get serious too," She smiles as the water begins to raise from her arm and over her torso. "Spirits of sorrow and isolation. I order you to gather around me, to attach yourselves to me and impose yourself, the great Djinn upon my body, Vinea!" What's going on with this person!? Her body is completely changing!? Before she could completely transform Mister Sinbad comes up behind her and grabs her arm. Just like with Alibaba, the water begins to disappear.

"Stop this, Miss!" He glares at her.

"What!? Who are you!?" She glares back. "What are you doing!?" She tries to get away from him.

"Miss, you seem to be the Kou Empire's Princess."

"W-Who are you!?" She questions, collapsing to her knees as the sword transforms back into a hair pen.

"I'm Sinbad, the King of Sindria," He continues to hold her hand as he looks at her with a much calmer look now. She stares back before her face goes bright red and she quickly stands back up.

"So, you're that King Sinbad?" She mumbles softly, looking down. She stares at their hands before going to an even brighter shade of red. "How long do you plan on holding my hand, you insolent man!" She screams, yanking her hand free.

"My apologies, Princess, but I had to stop you. We're people of royalty. We shouldn't have a dispute in this kind of place."

"But that child!" She points at me. I glare harshly at her.

"Aladdin, this matter ends here. You should withdraw your staff too," Mister Sinbad turns to me. I hold onto Ugo-kun's flute tightly, my staff glowing brightly with magoi. "It's alright, a Djinn will not die from an attack of this degree. Your friend is still alive. Furthermore, it's also not your style to act on impulse and fight, isn't it?" I slowly look down before lowering my staff. "Princess," He turns back to her. "I'm currently staying in this country as a King of another country for a reason. If the Princess are the same, then I would like to meet with you somewhere more appropriate."

"I understand," She whispers, hiding her face behind her long dress sleeves. "Everyone we're leaving." She begins to walk away.

"Eh? But Princess?" Ka Koubun quickly follows after her.

"It's okay, we'll leave today," She suddenly turns back to Mister Sinbad, still blushing brightly. "But it's not because you told me to!" She points at him. She quickly makes her way to the magic turban and then they were gone.

"They left" Someone from the crowd sighs in relief. "We're saved!"

"Treat the casualties!" Ja'far orders, quickly taking charge. I don't move. I just hug Ugo-kun's flute tightly to my chest. I look at it, frowning deeply. Ugo-kun's star has vanished. I have to give Ugo even more power!

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I groan as I slowly sit up. Everything is still so dark. I can barely see any rukh. Slowly I manage to stand up and make my way to the door. "Aladdin?" I call softly. Where did he go? I couldn't have been asleep long so why did he leave?

"Sin!" I faintly hear Ja'far yelling. I quickly make my way outside to follow his voice.

"What is it, Ja'far?"

"There are quite a lot of wounded. However, with such large-scale attacks we are very lucky to not have a single death." My eyes widen. What happened when I was out?

"Father!" I call, trying to speed up my pace.

"Amir!?" His voice is laced with worry. I hear him quickly stand and come to me. I flinch slightly when he puts a hand on my shoulder. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I-I'm looking for Aladdin," I look down.

"Umm I brought the towels over," Morgiana interrupts us. "Water has been distributed to everyone as well."

"Oh, thank you. You should get some rest as well," My father turns to her but his hand doesn't leave my shoulder.

"No. I'm fine… umm, I'm going to carry those that are heavily injured to the rooms," She begins to walk away without another word. I frown. Just what is going on with everyone?

"Amir," Father turns back to me. I stiffen as he does. "I'll look for Aladdin for you. I want you to go back to bed. You shouldn't be moving," He scolds me lightly. I look at him in confusion.

"What do you care?" I question softly. He flinches then sighs softly.

"Amir, I know I'm rough on you, but don't ever think I don't care," I shake my head.

"I don't believe you. I can't," I pull away from him and start to walk away. "I'm going to look for Aladdin."

"Wait Amir," He tries, but I ignore him. I try to focus on the rukh around me. Aladdin's rukh is so bright compared to everyone else's. He shouldn't be that hard to find. I walk down alley after alley in search for him until I hear a man yelling.

"Hey! This child isn't breathing!"

"This is bad. Is he still alive?" I turn towards the men and my heart stops when I faintly see Aladdin's rukh.

"No," I whisper before running as fast as I can towards him. My pain is completely forgotten. All I could see was Aladdin's fading rukh. "Aladdin!" I push the men out of the way as I kneel next to my only friend. I grab his shoulders, lightly shaking him. "Please say something." My eyes begin to tear up. This can't be happening… not again. I can't lose someone close to me again.

"Aladdin!" I hear Morgiana and Alibaba scream as they run towards us. "Hey, pull yourself together, Aladdin!" Alibaba tries to take him from me, but I don't let him.

"What is this about?" I hear my father's voice from behind me. I quickly turn to him, my tears making their way down my cheeks.

"Father," I whimper softly. I see his rukh still for a moment before bursting to life.

"This is bad! Hurry, take that flute away from him now!" I look back to Aladdin, now noticing that there is something glowing in his hand. Alibaba quickly takes the flute from him and it stops glowing as he does.

"Amir," Ja'far whispers as he kneels beside us. "Let's get him back to his room." I nod slightly before I struggle to stand up with Aladdin in my arms.

"Amir!" My father shouts. "Let someone else carry him. You're opening your wounds." I shake my head before I struggle to make my way back to Aladdin's room. I flinch when a hand is gently set on my shoulder.

"You don't have to do this alone, Amir," Alibaba says. "You got us to help." My eyes go wide.

"He's right," Morgiana speaks up. "We'll help you. You are our friend after all." More tears begin to slide down my face. I quickly look down to hide them. Friends? More friends?

"Here, let me carry him for you," Alibaba begins to take Aladdin from me. I let him hesitantly, but I don't take my eyes off Aladdin's faint rukh. "Alright, let's go."

"Okay," I whisper, following him to Aladdin's room. Once we're there, he gently lays him down on his bed and Ja'far quickly comes to his side.

"He's very weak," He sighs softly. "He's still alive, but he is in a very dangerous condition."

"How can this just what happened to Aladdin? This is even more severe than that time in the dungeon," Alibaba says.

"He overused his magoi," My father informs him. "Magi can indeed use magoi from his or her surroundings infinitely. However, this is limited to the amount their bodies can hold." I frown deeply. Why did he have to overuse his magoi? "When Aladdin could no longer take in the magoi from his surroundings he used his own magoi within his body, transferring it into that flute. Using your magoi is the same as extinguishing your own life. Magoi is the same as human life. Both are created by the magoi of rukhs. If your magoi is depleted, even if you are a Magi, you will still die." My eyes go wide and everything around me freezes. Die?

"So, you're saying Ugo means that much to Aladdin," Alibaba mumbles. "To him Ugo isn't just an ordinary flute, but a very important friend." I stumble towards Aladdin, sitting next to him. He sat with me when I was hurt so I'll sit with him too.

"Amir, will you let me treat your wounds?" Ja'far moves towards me. I stiffly nod, not taking my eyes off of Aladdin. He begins to remove my bloody shirt and bandages. "Well at least you didn't do too much damage," He begins to clean the wound on my back before wrapping a bandage around me again. "I'll go find you some clean clothes," He smiles faintly at me before leaving.

"What happened?" I turn towards my father, glaring coldly at him. "What happened to Aladdin!?" I yell, causing him to jump in surprise. I faintly notice Alibaba and Morgiana leave.

"We were attacked," He replies hesitantly before explaining everything that happened while I was asleep to me. I clench my fists in anger. I was asleep and he was fighting for his life! I should have been there! I should have been there to protect him. My shoulders sag in defeat.

"Amir," My father comes to my side.

"Just leave me alone," I whisper in a broken voice. I can't take anymore today. I hear him sigh before he too leaves the room. Soon the people outside begin to grow loud. I glare towards the door. What if they wake Aladdin? He needs his rest. I sigh before standing up. "I'll be right back," I whisper, brushing his hair out of his face before walking out the door.

"Oh Amir, I brought you a clean shirt," Ja'far makes his way towards me.

"Thanks," I whisper before slowly pulling it on, wincing as I do. "What is all this noise about?"

"I'm not sure. I was about to go check myself."

"Okay, then let's go," I motion for him to walk with me. "Where's my father?"

"He's right over here. This way." He begins to lead me to him.

"Amir? Why aren't you resting with Aladdin?" He frowns at me.

"I wanted to know what all the noise was about," I sigh, crossing my arms.

"I see. Well the deputy King is here." My eyes go wide in surprise.

"That guy came out here?" I question to myself before turning towards the man.

"Brother Sahbmad," Alibaba whispers in shock and begins to make his way to the deputy King.

"Young Master!" A large man opens his arms as Alibaba gets closer. "I could barely recognize you!"

"Barkak!" He gasps.

"I remember, years before, that you were only a small boy training in swordplay under my guidance. But you look entirely different now," He grins before turning serious. "I'm here today under a secret order. The deputy King said that he had to see you no matter what."

"Sahbmad?" Alibaba questions as the said deputy King makes his way towards him. "Why did you come to a place like this?" The deputy King doesn't answer immediately. He shakes and shivers as he tries to find his words.

"A-Alibaba, you are really amazing. T-To have this kind of b-base and to have become the Leader of this large thieves' guild. You're really, really amazing. B-But I'm just so useless. My body just can never stop shivering. It's the same even now. When there are so many strangers around me m-my legs just can't stop shaking." The large man named Barkak come up behind the deputy King and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Young Master even though the deputy King is in this state, he insisted on seeing you just to tell you something important," Barkak begins to explain. "To us, this place is our enemy's territory. Please try to understand how the deputy King is risking his life to come here." My father puts a gentle hand at the base of my back, where the wound doesn't reach, and begins to guide me forward with him.

"Ah! If it isn't Sahbmad!" He smiles at them. I just stare blankly at them.

"U-Uncle Sinbad," Sahbmad shutters.

"For someone who is afraid to appear in front of others, why are you here? It's rather plausible that this is just another one of Ahbmad's orders, right? In any case, be at ease."

"O-Okay," He agrees hesitantly. "But I-I have to apologize to have you face such dangers."

"Hmph. I understand now," My father crosses his arms as he stares at Sahbmad. "Although I have already figured that for someone to hold such important information, it has to be someone who holds a key role. If it's you, I can understand." My eyes widen slightly. So this is the one. "In other words, the information leaks regarding the empire's army, as well as how the Fog Troupe found my location. They were all your doing, weren't they?"

"…That was an inevitable move. At the time, I couldn't let you defeat the Fog Troupe."

"You're partners with the Fog Troupe?" I question.

"I-Tis not like that. I don't have any affiliations with the Fog Troupe, nor have I met any of its members. Even so, I still leaked that information to save them because Alibaba was there. If Alibaba was with the Fog Troupe, they could probably so something for the country because since the beginning, Alibaba has always been someone that could do things that I could never do."

"Deputy King," Barkak looks at him.

"I had wanted Alibaba to stop Ahbmad."

"Stop Ahbmad? Although it's true that the country is in shambles and it can be also said that it is Ahbmad's fault as the King. However, is it that bad that you must rely on the help of a thieves' guild!?" Father glares at him. "Just what do you fear about Ahbmad!?"

"Fear? Y-Yes I'm afraid of Ahbmad but what should be feared are the things he does," He mumbles. "No… that isn't right. Whatever it is, something scary is going to happen to this country. Just why did it lead to this? Not understanding this point should be what scares people the most!"

"Sahbmad?" Father questions him.

"Allow me to explain from here," Barkak steps forward. "This country started changing when the previous King fell ill. A man called Markkio came to the palace. He said that he was a banker. He made a deal with Ahbmad to leave all the country's finances to him. Soon he brought what is called juan to us. During commercial trade with the Kou Empire's neighboring countries, they have indeed displayed an incredible power. Paper notes could transform into many high-valued gold products, working tools, daily necessities, and more. We were all awed by their power. And thus, we decided to use these paper notes called juan in our country as well. When our country important various goods, we would pay using juan. We also receive juan when we export our goods. We were lent an unlimited supply of juan by the Banker. However, it came with a small amount of interest. And hence, Balbadd's economy solely depended on juan."

"Such stupidity," Father says. "To depend on another country which decides the value of these paper notes in your own country's economy."

"You are right," Barkak nods. "The value of each of these notes changes constantly and this troubled our people. Items that only needed one juan yesterday would request two juan today. In other words, the value was halved. Every change resulted in great losses for our country."

"That is what scares many people. In the end, paper notes are just ordinary papers. They don't hold much value in the first place. The value of paper notes is determined by the country which distributes them," My father says.

"That is why even though our country has the contract of using gold to exchange goods, we barely use it in our country. The central bank which distributes the money is also prohibited from adding interest as well," Ja'far explains.

"Indeed. We didn't know when the debt we had accumulated to such a large sum. Following that, it also became impossible to pay that small amount of interest that came with the debt. Coincidentally, the Fog Troupe began their activities at that time, which increased our army expenses as well. Because of the huge debt, our country had to keep borrowing. However, Markkio was not willing to lend it to us for free anymore. The royalty, who handled our country's politics, and the politicians couldn't sense the threat because the debt of the country didn't affect their standards of living at all. They all wanted more juan but they couldn't borrow anymore, nor did they have any assets left to use as collateral," Barkak explains.

"Ahbmad… he decided to sell our citizens," The deputy King speaks up, cutting Barkak off. "He wants to selling off Balbadd's citizens to Kou, to Leam, or to Partevia. Ahbmad decided to transform Balbadd into a slave-exporting country!"

"Transforming Balbadd into a slave-exporting country!?" The people around us begin to shout. All I can do is stare at him in shock. How could Ahbmad do this?

"In other words, Ahbmad, has betrayed the citizens?" My father glares at him.

"Yes, that's right. Big brother said it himself. He said that the citizens do not matter," Sahbmad nods. "No one rejected his idea," He lowers his head. "After that, the Kou Empire has decided to take the citizens of Balbadd and sell them off as slaves to other countries."

"Wait just a moment!" A member of the Fog Troupe shouts. "While bad people like us trade and handle slaves, we have never heard of a country that would do such a thing."

"Sahbmad. Just what in the world is happening? Has Ahbmad rot to that extent?" My father asks.

"I don't understand either. But Ahbmad, as well as the other royalty and officials, have been spending money like it's nothing. Nothing else will be able to catch their eyes. The royalty and the officials, to secure their own lifestyles, follow Ahbmad without question."

"Deputy King!" My eyes snap towards Morgiana as she steps forward. "Are you asking for us to stop them? That's the reason you're here?" She questions him. He flinches away from her, shaking and shivering.

"Y-Yes, that's right," He nods quickly. Morgiana whirls around to face Alibaba. She grabs him by the shoulders, making him face her.

"Alibaba, let's do this. Let us stop that ridiculous plan!"

"Even if we wanted to stop it, how could we?" I question Sahbmad before Alibaba can reply.

"W-Well there's going to be a contract signing ceremony."

"A ceremony?" My father asks.

"Yes, that's right. It's actually for the engagement between Ahbmad and one of the Kou Empire's Princesses. In five days, they will be holding the wedding ceremony. At the same time, they will be going through the contract signing ceremony with the citizens as the collateral. But if it's me, I can't stop them. That is why I'm here today." He walks to Alibaba, standing face to face with him. "I'm begging you, Alibaba! Please, with your power, stop Ahbmad!" He lowers his head in shame.

"I have understood everything you have said, Sahbmad. Just leave it to me," My father speaks up. "I will contact my allied counties and we will come together to oppose the Balbadd government. Although I'm not certain that we would be able to make it in five days for the ceremony, I will absolutely stop this idiotic plan that will export citizens as slaves!" I nod my head in agreement with my father.

"Deputy King, it's about time we return," Barkak steps forward. He looks to Alibaba. "Young Master we're counting on you." And with that they were gone. I sigh softly at all this commotion.

"Father, I'm returning to Aladdin's room," I mumble before turning to walk away. He doesn't say anything in return. When I get back I see that Aladdin hasn't moved an inch. If frown a little at this while I make my way to the chair beside his bed.

"Aladdin, please come back to me," I whisper as I gently take his hand in mine. "I can't lose another friend again," I lay my head down next to our hands and slowly drift off.

 _~~The Next Morning~~_

"Hey Aladdin, you still haven't woken up. After you collapsed, Sahbmad came. He said he wanted me to save this country. Although it's true that this country is facing a huge problem and that someone must do something about it is that really something for me to do?" I faintly hear Alibaba speaking. Slowly I open my eyes to see his rukh.

"Alibaba?" I mumble as I sit up.

"O-Oh hey, Amir," He shutters.

"Were you talking to, Aladdin?" I tilt my head a little.

"Yeah, kind of," He mumbles in embarrassment. I look at him and then Aladdin. I frown a little before sighing.

"Okay. I'll leave you two alone then," I stand and make my way out of the room.

"Thanks, Amir," He says softly as I leave. I begin to look around for my father's rukh. I spot it with ease and begin to walk towards it. I'm glad my vision is back to normal. I don't know how much longer I could have lasted.

"Father?" I knock on the door he's behind.

"Come in, Amir," He replies. I close the door quietly behind me as I make my way towards him.

"Wait Amir-" He's cut off as I run into a chair, falling face first into the ground. I groan softly as the movement pulls at my wound. "Here let me help," He says as he helps me to my feet. I blush bright red in embarrassment.

"Thanks," I mumble as I sit in the chair I tripped over.

"Anyway, you were saying something Ja'far?" He sits back down, facing Ja'far.

"What are you planning on doing from now on?" Ja'far asks, standing in front of the table we're at. I notice Masrur is standing behind my father. "To think that the Kou Empire is at the center of all this. Even if we managed to discuss with our allies, it may be of no use at all.

"Yes, I know that. Even if we found a way, it is still impossible to solve this problem entirely."

"That is because this country's system has already been broken quite badly," Ja'far sighs.

"Yes. That is why, to rebuild this country into an utterly different form, we must rely on those people that serve this country wholeheartedly."

"Are you planning on destroying the current King's rule?"

"If we wanted to do that then we could use Alibaba," I cut in. "We could push for him as a candidate to be the next King."

"Alibaba huh?" Father leans back and stares at me. I stiffen a little. Did I upset him again? "Right now, we can't expect much from him. I have considered him before but his strength as well as his confidence aren't enough." He picks up his wine glass before sighing softly. "Why did Aladdin choose him in the first place?"

"Hey Sin, it's this early in the morning and you're already drinking so much," Ja'far glares at him. I just give him a disappointed look. He may be acting nicer to me, but he's still the same old lazy King it seems.

"I can't help it. Ever since arriving in this country, I haven't even gotten a single moment of rest," He defends himself. Ja'far was about to speak again when the door slams open. I jump and quickly look to see who it is. I relax a little when I recognized the rukh.

"Did something happen, Morgiana?" Father asks in a rush.

"The treatment of the wounded has been completed."

"Is that so? Thanks for informing me. Go ahead and take a rest then," Father smiles at her.

"Alright but before that, I have something to ask."

"What is it?" He tilts his head.

"You seem to know that person called Judal as well as the people that were behind him. Just who are they?"

"It's about that, huh. I understand, we can talk about that later. But you must be tried, so take a break for today." She nods and turns back to the door.

"I understand. Please explain everything in full detail later. I would like to understand my opponents clearly," She opens the door before pausing. "Also, about Alibaba. He does look like he doesn't have any confidence but he saved when I was a slave. It wasn't just anyone. It was him. Hence this is how I feel," She turns to face us, glaring at my father. "The one who is able to save this country is him!" She turns and slams the door on her way out.

"Ja'far, about what we were talking about, the thing about Alibaba. It seems that it is still too early to determine whether he's a good candidate or not."

"That's because your drunk, Father," I lightly glare at him.

 _ **Chapter 7**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"So, you're finally going to tell them about the Kou Empire?" I question my father as I walk beside him to meet up with Morgiana and Alibaba. I had just left Aladdin's room. I stayed with him all night again, but he never moved nor made a sound.

"Yes," He nods. "They need to know." I stay silent the rest of the way. Soon Father and I are taking our seats across from the two.

"You said you would explain in full detail," Morgiana says. Right down to business it seems. My father agrees with her before he begins to explain.

"The Kou Empire is a country that has been displaying quite a bit of power recently. A militaristic country that reigns over the central plains. Although it was just a small country in the East not too long ago, it only took them a small amount of time to take control of the entire central plains. Although we can't just turn a blind eye to such ruthlessness, I now know one of the reasons for the ruthlessness like we saw yesterday."

"What is it?" Alibaba asks.

"The Kou Empire's Magi, Judal."

"Umm… I'm sorry, but may I ask what actually a Magi is?" Morgiana hesitantly asks.

"I want to know that too," Alibaba nods.

"Amir, would you like to explain this for me?" Father asks. I look up at him in surprise before I nod.

"Alright," I turn back to Alibaba and Morgiana. "Another name for Magi is the magician that shapes the world. They are able to control the rukh of the world by using magoi. But, the power of a Magi that we are most familiar with is the power to summon dungeons and to lead people in there. There are many different powers that you can find in dungeons. Magic incantations, magical items, as well as metal vessels. The Magi will bestow these items to the people he or she leads into the dungeon. Those who have been given the power of the dungeons, as well as the people around them, will rise to fame and glory with the aid of the Magi."

"So, is it the same for Sinbad, too?" Alibaba looks to my father.

"No, I'm different," He smiles. "I used my own strength to conquer the dungeons that were summoned by Judal. Because of that I have clashed with that troublesome guy a couple of times before. In any case, even with exceptions such as myself, the reason why the Kou Empire has risen to such power and glory is no doubt because of Judal. Judal said it before that he's using his strength as a Magi to help the Kou Empire. He has sent various people into dungeons that he summoned making the Kou Empire a rarely seen large and powerful empire in this era. Also, they seem to have no intentions on stopping their powerful invasion."

"You're saying…" Alibaba trails off.

"That's right. The country they are eyeing right now is the Kingdom of Balbadd." Father confirms his thoughts. "Actually, since a long time ago, the Kou Empire has always been using their military influence to suppress Balbadd's economy. After that, they waited for the Kingdom's power to diminish to as to ensure Balbadd uses juan for their finances. What they can use isn't only their military's strength but also the guy that has been completely manipulated by them which is Ahbmad Saluja. That guy has been deceived by the flowery lies of the Kou Empire and has been pushing the country into its current state. Losing its land, losing its rights, and now he is even planning to sell the citizens as slaves. This is what we currently have to think about. We need a plan to solve this approaching major problem."

"Then our enemies are the Kou Empire and Ahbmad Saluja, right?" Morgiana asks.

"Ah, you can put it like that." Morgiana and Alibaba both stand and head to the door.

"I understand, thank you very much," Morgiana says as she bows.

"I'm taking my leave." Alibaba mumbles, walking away.

"Wait, Alibaba," My father orders him. "I still have something to talk to you about. Let's talk about this with just the two of us," He pauses before turning to me. "Actually, let the three of us talk." My eyes widen a little before I smile faintly. Is he trying to let me back in after all this time?

"Alright," He takes his seat again as everyone else leaves.

"Your father had always been telling me about you," My father smiles at him. "He said he still had another son. Saying that you were outstanding and was proud of you. And now you even appear before me as a dungeon capturer. This must be another of the rukhs' guidance."

"Please stop," Alibaba looks down. "I'm not like that."

"What do you mean?" I question him.

"I'm just someone that used Aladdin's strength to conquer the dungeon. I didn't do anything at all. Also, the Djinn's powers did not even harm you at all, Sinbad," He clenches his fists that set on the table. "If it's about how we're similar then please stop talking about it."

"Alibaba. I understand that you have lost your confidence because your attempt to negotiate with Ahbmad failed, but if you continue to look down, you will cause nothing but trouble for others," Father says, completely serious now.

"My father is right, Alibaba. This country needs to be reborn. The only way for that to happen is for Ahbmad's current government to be change into an utterly different state. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" I ask him. He just stares at me with wide eyes. "Alibaba you have to become Balbadd's King." He gasps in shock.

"You don't have to worry," My father says, standing up before Alibaba could say anything. "Even if you don't have the confidence right now I will give my all to support you from the back. The strength and confidence that you need you'll just have to accumulate them with time." He smiles at him. "I will also teach you how to use your djinn."

"Please stop!" Alibaba suddenly yells. He stands up fast, knocking his chair over. "The thing about making me King. Something like that is impossible," He laughs shakily.

"But aren't you the Leader of this strong and active Fog Troupe? Didn't you become the Leader because you wanted to be the one to lead this country someday?"

"It's not like that," He shakes his head. "The reason why I'm the Leader is because I happen to have royal blood. It's because Cassim thought that, if I become the Leader, it would not make the Fog Troupe look like an army of thieves."

"Alibaba, don't you think that everyone is bestowed with various duties the moment they are born? It's a coincidence you happen to have royal blood but the world's Kings also thought it was a coincidence for them to be given birth into royalty and to live to become a King. I, for instance, didn't actually think of becoming King either. I went down that path because I felt that it was the duty that was bestowed upon me. Whoever it is will live because of the duty given to them. There are no coincidences at all." Alibaba stays silent, staring towards the ground.

"Yesterday, Morgiana came to see us," I speak up. He quickly looks up. This seems to have gained his attention like I was hoping it would. "She said that the one who could save this country is you. And it's not only her that thinks that. Your elder brother Sahbmad, The Fog Troupe, and all the citizens as well. Everyone is hoping that you will save them. They all believe you can," I smile slightly at him. "We all believe that you can do this. You just need to believe in yourself as well."

 _ **Alibaba's Pov**_

I stare at Amir and Sinbad in shock before shaking my head slowly. "I-I…" I lower my head. "I'm going to get some air," I mumble before walking out the door. I sigh deeply as I make my way down the street. Even if you say it like that… wanting me to become King or whatever it is. What am I supposed to do? I don't understand anything at all. Why would Amir blurt something like that out all of a sudden? I pause when I notice something from the corner of my eye. I look back to see a mother with a young child who is crying. How nostalgic. My mother and I lived like that together in the past. I frown before I continue walking. Turning the citizens into slaves... just how could he do something like that? I'm pulled from my thoughts when the citizens around me start to yell.

"Ah! It's Alibaba!" The mother from before yells.

"Eh!? Prince Alibaba!?" The man next to her quickly turns to look for me.

"Hey!" A few rushes up to me. "How did the discussion go!?"

"Hurry up and think of a way to save this country already!" Another one yells in anger. My eyes widen as I slowly back away from them.

"Hurry up and get over here!" I hear from behind me. A hand grabs the back of my shirt and pulls me towards them. I yell out in surprise as I'm hauled off.

"The citizens' patience is at their limits. Wandering around alone like that right now is dangerous, you know?" My eyes widen a little when I recognize the voice.

"Cassim!" I look up to see him and our old friends. "Cassim, where have you been all this time? A huge problem showed up, you know!" I shout at him.

"Ah, you mean being attacked by the Kou Empire's members? I heard about it from these people," He points to a ground of people behind him.

"Then, why didn't you come back!?" I glare at him.

"How can I return when Sinbad's over there?" He sits down on a box as he stares at me in boredom.

"Cassim, Sinbad isn't a bad person," I try to reason with him.

"Alibaba!" He yells, glaring at me coldly. "That bastard is royalty! That bastard made fun of the Fog Troupe that I painstakingly brought up. I won't forgive him for that!"

"But, we require his strength, don't we? If it's just us we can't do anything at all."

"Alibaba, other than us, do you know that there are many other people that wish to change this country? And that is the citizens," He stops glaring at me to stare coolly at me.

"The citizens!?" I gasp quietly.

"You saw the state of the people on the streets, didn't you? They are already at their limits. Also, there's this silly citizens-slaves transformation plan that the King is going to introduce. If we inform the citizens of this plan, as well as provide them with weapons, what do you think will happen?" He begins to explains to me. "That's right, we will instigate the citizens and build a large army to bring down the current monarchy!"

"You… just what are you saying!?" I stare at him wide eyed. "Cassim, are you serious!?"

"Don't be so surprised. We have ourselves some supporters for this plan as well," He smiles at me. A man hiding his face behind a cloth walks up to us.

"Who is he?" I glare lightly at him.

"He is a weapon dealer. He is the person that has been providing the Fog Troupe with weapons from the beginning. The magic weapons that we got are all borrowed from him. It seems that he is willing to provide a large number of weapons for the Fog Troupe as well as for the citizens!" Cassim grins at me. Cassim, cooperating with such a suspicious person. Just what are you thinking!?

"Cassim, stop it. Ahbmad made a deal with the Kou Empire. Fighting with such opponents will result in too many innocent citizens sacrificing their lives! Don't you understand that!?"

"Tch. Isn't that for the better? Be it the palace's back-up or what-not, they can still be suppressed by large numbers! Even if there are more sacrifices, it is inevitable!" All I can do is stare at him. "No matter how many citizens die the final victory will still be ours!" Cassim, just what the hell happened to you!? Was it Mariam's death? Didn't you cry for her? And now you are thinking of doing this? Submerging innocent people like Mariam into a sea of blood!? "The plan will be carried out the following night. You will be coming with me, right Alibaba?"

"I never heard that this will lead to war," I glare coldly at him.

"You don't have to give me that look," He offers his hand to me while smiling. "I knew, right from the start, about your hate for thefts and disputes. That is why I have only been relying on the Fog Troupe to change this country, but it wasn't able to. Whatever we do, even when you of royal blood stepped in, it wasn't enough to shake that Ahbmad, right? That is why we can only resort to war. You're feeling the same way, aren't you?" I glare at him, thinking hard about everything he has said. What would Aladdin say? What would Sinbad, or even Amir, say? I shake my head roughly. Why am I even thinking about this? It's obvious what my answer is.

"I don't think so," I say softly but also firmly.

"Alibaba-" Cassim tries but I cut him off.

"I think that you're wrong," I clench my fists to keep myself calm. "We should think of other methods."

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" He yells at me. "If you have a plan, say it!"

"That I don't know."

"You see! There is no other way!" Cassim shakes his head at me.

"Although I don't know yet I do know that I will find the answer. The answer that won't result to a single drop of blood being shed," I look up at him slowly. "Let me save this country!" I meet his gaze and hold my ground. He stares at me coldly before suddenly rushing forward and punching me. I cry out softly as I fall to the ground.

"It hurts," I glare up at him before standing up. I grab his shirt and pull him closer so we're face to face. "What are you doing, you bastard!"

"Ah, Alibaba," He mumbles softly. "Being together with you is tiring me out," He sighs. "You know that, don't you? That you have neither the strength, nor the resolution. You are trash, even though you carry royal blood. That's why I don't need you anymore. Disappear from my sight," He stares at me blankly. He shoves my hand away from him. "If you still insist on stopping me then the next time we meet, we will be enemies.

 _ **Chapter 8**_

 _ **Sinbad's Pov**_

"Sin. How's the progress of making Alibaba the King of this country?" Ja'far asks as he walks to me. I look at him before shaking my head.

"Ah. He has already lost his confidence. He didn't give Amir and I the reply that we wished to hear," I look over towards the gate to this clearing when it suddenly slams open. Alibaba stands there with his head down.

"Sinbad," He looks up to meet my eye. "Please teach me how to use a djinn. I need power. I need the power necessary to protect this country!" I look at him in mild shock before I nod.

"Alright," I smile at him. "Then we'll begin training immediately. Follow me." I wave for Ja'far to stay behind as I lead Alibaba to a deserted clearing. "Now call forth your djinn," I order him once we arrive. He nods, his confidence never wavering. He takes his blade out and holds it in front of him.

"Stern and dignified spirits of etiquette, in the name of my magoi, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members. Come forth, Amon!" I watch the flames burst from the sword and surround him.

"Wrong," I shake my head at him. "You need to envelop your own body more with Amon's flames. The proper way to use your djinn is different from what you usually do. You need to compress your djinn's large power into your own body and allow yourself to materialize as your own djinn. That is the basics of using a djinn!" I watch as he fails to compress his djinn's power over and over until his magoi runs dry. He kneels on the ground, panting and sweating heavily. "Your magoi has finally run out. You should have probably realized this. When the magoi that you have been storing up in your djinn's metal vessel runs out, you can't unleash anymore of it's power. So, you must take note of your magoi capacity."

"Yes," He nods. "What must I do to restore my magoi again?"

"Once you have recovered your own physical strength, place your metal vessel on yourself for a few hours and it will be fully restored again," I explain.

"What happens if your magoi runs out during a battle?" I smile slightly at him. That's actually a good question.

"Well then you will be in a dangerous situation. However, it's not like there aren't any other methods to restore your magoi. Another method is..." He nods in understanding.

"Alright, I think I understand that part. But I don't really get what you mean by compressing the djinn's power within my own body."

"Ah. You have seen Aladdin's djinn, right? He's very strong. By supplying large amounts of magoi into the metal vessel, it will allow the djinn to materialize its body. However, this is something only Magi like Aladdin can do. For people like us who have smaller magoi capacities, we are unable to materialize djinns. But by possessing yourself with your djinn's powers and assimilating with those powers, you will be able to obtain the same strength as the materialized djinn. And that is what you call enveloping yourself with the djinn's powers or simply put, djinn equip!"

"A djinn equip?" He tilts his head slightly. I just smile at him.

"After succeeding in djinn equip, you will possess the same outward appearance as your djinn. That Princess' djinn is probably something close to that of a fish."

"Then what technique was that when you dispelled my flames with a slight touch the other day?" He questions and stands up.

"Ah, that. I just simply controlled the magoi within my body to counteract your magoi. However, this magoi control technique that I mastered is from training with a special tribe in the mountains for about a year. You can't learn it in a day or two."

"Is that so," He mumbles, looking away in disappointment.

"Alright, your magoi should be restored by now. By remembering what I just explained to you, try activating your djinn equip."

"Okay," He holds his sword up again. I interrupt him before he can sprout flames again.

"However, a full body djinn equip is probably impossible for you right now. That isn't something that you can master in a short amount of time. You can probably manage part of your djinn equip. In other words, only djinn weapon equip."

"Djinn weapon equip?" He frowns slightly.

"Yes. You have seen the Princess' transformation, right? From her metal vessel to her arms, they transformed into a huge sword. That is because the place which is nearest to the djinn is the easiest to equip. Also, the huge sword has the appearance of the weapon that her djinn has. Now, try bringing out Amon's weapon!"

"Alright!" He once again summons his flames and tries to compress them. He begins to shout through his efforts. I smirk slightly as I watch him. It seems that he really is trying his best for this country.

 _~~Later That Day~~_

"Sin. How is Alibaba's djinn training coming along?" Ja'far asks as I sit down with a drink in hand.

"Ah, yes. His progress isn't bad. It's not possible for him to grasp the technique within a day, so I will continue to train him tomorrow," I smile at him before sipping at my drink.

"Sin, just what are you trying to make Alibaba do?" He sighs softly.

"Isn't that obvious, Ja'far?" We both turn to see Amir walking into the room. "It's to make him this country's King. Isn't that right, Father?"

"Yes," I nod in agreement. I watch as he carefully makes his way to a chair. Luckily he doesn't trip this time. I stare at him, smiling sadly. Why did it have to turn out this way? He used to be so strong and happy. Now he has to worry about running into chairs and tripping over rocks on the ground.

"But that isn't a simple task. Making Ahbmad step down and making Alibaba the next King requires more effort in the political areas," Ja'far reminds me. I wave my hand lazily to dismiss his thoughts.

"I will be discussing this matter with my allied countries."

"I see. But, if it goes like that, then there isn't a need for Alibaba to become stronger, is there?"

"That isn't necessarily true. Strength will boost his confidence and there wouldn't be a need for him to worry of being assassinated after becoming King. Although I say it that way, I'm not planning on having him do all the work by himself. Starting tomorrow, I will also start to move."

"Just what are you planning this time, Father?" Amir stares straight at me. I shiver slightly. Even after all these years I still can't get used to that look he gives people.

"I am going to have a talk with that Kou Empire's Princess. She is probably Ahbmad's fiancée. I feel that it would be better for me to talk to her about this country's situation instead of Ahbmad."

"But, it's not going to be that easy too convince her, right?" Amir tilts his head slightly at me.

"It's alright," I smile towards him. "I feel that she would listen to me." He suddenly starts to glare at me.

"You might be right," Ja'far sighs before walking away. I frown at him before looking back to meet Amir's glare.

"Lady Killer of The Seven Seas," He mumbles at me.

"Eh? What are you talking about, Amir?" I frown deeply at him. "I am no such thing." I watch in surprise as he laughs softly at me.

"Sure, you aren't," He smiles faintly at me before standing up. "I think I will go back to Aladdin's room." He begins to walk away.

"You really care for him, don't you?" I question before he could leave. He freezes mid-step.

"Yes, I do," He says in a monotone voice. I sigh deeply at him.

"Amir, just be careful okay?" I stand up and grab him by his shoulders. "You've already nearly died for him once. I don't want what happened five years ago to happen again. I don't want to see you like that ever again." He pulls away from me slowly, looking down.

"You don't want to see me like that again? What do you even care?" He mumbles in an icy voice. He shakes his head roughly before looking back up at me. "I'll do anything to save him, so just accept that," He gives me one last glare before turning to leave. "Oh, one more thing. Stop pretending to care just because I got hurt." I flinch slightly at his cold words. All I can do is stare at his retreating form in shock. Slowly I sit back down with a tired sigh. Why does he do this? He doesn't have to risk his life to save someone precious to him.

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I quickly walk away from my father. Why would he act like that after all this time? He's the one who left me, not the other way around. I sigh deeply as all the anger from before leaves me. I just want to go back to Aladdin's room. I slowly make my way there and quietly enter. I notice Alibaba and Morgiana are already here. I groan internally.

"Is there something wrong, Alibaba?" Morgiana asks, standing beside him. He turns to look up at her.

"No, it's just that I'm worried of Aladdin's condition." I frown at this. Has he gotten worse? I quickly make my way to Aladdin's side to check on him without a word to either of them. I relax a little when I notice he hasn't gotten worse. They both silently watch me. I guess they didn't even know I was here. Morgiana turns back to Alibaba to continue talking.

"You should worry about yourself. You had your djinn training all day. Aren't you going to take a rest?" She asks softly.

"Ah, I have already taken a rest and I feel better already," He smiles faintly at her before looking at Aladdin. I don't have to see to know that Aladdin is beyond pale and weak looking. "Aladdin, I dragged him into this terrible mess. Even Ugo…" He trails off.

"Umm... Aladdin kept saying that you are his most respectable friend. That is why he saved you who were troubled by this country's situation. He definitely doesn't feel that he was being dragged into anything at all." His eyes widen at what she says before smiling softly.

"Thank you, Morgiana." She nods before leaving the room. "Amir, will you stay with him while I'm gone? I have something important to do." I look up at him and nod.

"Of course, I will. You don't even have to ask," I whisper before looking back to Aladdin. I listen as he leaves the room without another word. I wonder what he has to do?

 _ **Alibaba's**_ __ _ **Pov**_

I hate to leave Aladdin right now, but I know that Amir will take care of him. I can tell that he would do anything to keep Aladdin safe. I quickly grab my old cloth to hide my face and head towards the palace. After what Morgiana told me, I now know that I need to do this. I quickly make my way through all the crowds and to the gate.

"Who are you!?" The guards scream over all the people as I step forward. "You do know that this is the royal palace, don't you!? Leave!" He points his spear at me. Silently, I take the cloth off my face. "Ah. You are!" I pull my sword out as I stare at them blankly. I'm sorry, Sinbad. I can't wait for another two days. Right now, my friend is preparing a very dangerous plan. Before that plan is executed, someone must solve the problem at hand.

"I am Balbadd's third Prince, Alibaba Saluja! Open this gate!" I order the guards. "I'm here because there is something I need to say to Ahbmad."

"Don't… don't joke with us! How can we let the Leader of the Fog Troupe enter the palace!?" Before I can respond someone throws a rock that barely misses his head.

"Open it! Open the gates!" The people behind me yell as they throw more rocks at the guards.

"I'll stop these people if you open the gates," I tell the guards, holding an arm out to stop the people from getting any closer. "If this continues on, your lives will be in danger."

"You will be the only one entering, right?" He asks shakily.

"Yes. I, as a Prince of Balbadd, give you my word." I turn towards the crowd as they begin to open the gate. I raise my sword above my head and summon Amon's flames. The flames form a pillar around me. "Everyone! Please wait for my return here! From now on, I will change this country!" I step inside the gates only to be surrounded by a dozen guards. I look up when I hear Ahbmad's voice. I glare coldly at him. "Ahbmad! There's something I need to tell you! Hurry up and get your ass down here!"

"What?" He glares at me. "What nonsense is this!? Who allowed him to enter this palace!?" He turns around to face someone I can't see. "Banker! Kill that bastard!"

"Oh? Is that okay? He is a Prince of this country after all."

"What rubbish! I will never accept that trash as a Prince!"

"Then, Entai, hurry up and carry out the King's orders." I watch closely as a man jumps down from the balcony.

"What is this? I didn't ask for you!" He removes the cloth covering his face.

"Don't say it like that. We've already met before, you know?" He gives me a creepy smile. "Have you already forgotten? However, there really isn't a need for me to introduce myself, is there?" He begins to transform into some kind of monster. My eyes go wide and I quickly back away as his body begins to grow. He continues to transform until he looks like some kind of elephant with three trunks. This bastard is one of the three that attacked us before! "You're going to die here!" He screams at me before attacking. I cry out as his trunk hits me dead on and I'm slammed into the wall. I groan as I try to get up. Damn. Is there even such a human? Either way, I don't have the time to play with him!

"Let's go, Amon!" I summon his flames and throw them at the monster before me. Before the flames can reach him, he begins to spin his trunks in a large circle. The flames connect only to be blown back at me. "What the!?" I quickly cover my face with my arms for some protection.

"I am the strongest warrior created by the Kou Empire's technology, you know!" He moves his trunks to the water fountain behind him before sucking up all the water. I watch wide eyed as he shoots the water back out at me with incredible speed. I barely have any time to dodge. Damn it! Just what kind of monster is this? He extinguished all the flames! "What? Is it already over? Then you just have to die now." I narrow my eyes at him before holding my sword with both hands. Although I didn't receive much practice. I can only reply on it now!

"Djinn equip!" I yell and hold my sword above my head as the flames shoot towards the sky.

"H-Huh. That guy is burning himself up," The monster backs away from the flames surrounding me. I look at my sword, trying to compress the flames. This isn't enough. I need to compress even more of Amon's flames within this sword! My eyes widen as the flames scatter again. So it's still impossible, after all. I can't compress them at all! "What are you mumbling about!?" The monster screams as he attacks. I quickly jump out of the way of his trunk. "I'm starting to feel annoyed now!" I glare at him and jump up to slash at his eyes with the flames. "You bastard!" He screams and begins to stomp around randomly. I shall use the flames like this to defeat him.. No, I can't! If I do this, I won't have enough strength to defeat the rest that are probably nearby! But I don't have any other options. I have to do that!

"Djinn equip!" I yell again. The flames quickly surround my blade.

"Those flames of yours are annoying!" He yells as he gathers more water. He quickly shoots it at me like before. I dodge his attack and counter with my own. My blade connects with his trunk head on but, doesn't even leave a scratch. He smirks before throwing me back.

"Wuah!" I groan softly as I slowly get back up again. I must compress them. I must think of a way to compress these flames within the sword!

"You're really weak! You can't even call yourself a dungeon capturer! Although I have no idea what you're trying to do. It will just be useless and you will die!" He laughs. My eyes widen when he begins to attack again. All I can manage to do is dodge. Compress… compress… Damn, it's still not enough! Why, Amon!? Why aren't you responding to me!? Are you trying to tell me that I don't have the qualifications to use you!? Are you going to just let me die.. like this, Amon!?

"Oraa!" The monster yells as he charges me. I just watch wide eyed as he runs right into me. I'm thrown back, coughing up blood. I don't move from where I landed. "This is a waste of my time," He begins to walk closer but I don't move. My mind wonders off as I remember the words of my Mother, Father, Sahbmad, and Sinbad. I remember how the people of Balbadd begged me to save them. To save this country. I cry out as his foot lands on top of me. Damn it.. am I going to die here!? I glare up at him when I remember what Cassim had told me. Was he right? Do I really not have any power!? I grip my sword tightly in anger before stabbing it into the monster's foot as he tries to smash me again. He screams and shouts in anger as he falls back.

"Idiot!" I mumble to myself as I try to stand. Don't confuse yourself. Remember what Aladdin had said. He believes I'm a courageous person so I'm going to trust him. If that's the case then power isn't an issue at all! I manage to stand again, stumbling a little as I do. In any case, haven't I already decided that I won't stop my feet and continue to move forward!? I get into a stance, readying myself. I place one arm behind my back and the other right in front of me with my sword in hand.

"Bastard! I'm going to kill you!" He screams. His trunks start to slip open like mouths. I stare wide eyed at all the teeth inside. He begins to charge me again.

"Djinn equip!" I shout. Compress the flames within the sword! I don't understand how I'm supposed to compress them! Rather than doing that, I should just burn my arms instead! I will burn my entire body too then! Have it burn more ferociously! Become the flame itself! I shoot forward with the flames covering every inch of me. When I stop I notice I'm behind him now with a large black sword in my hands. I look at him to see that I sliced him in two.

"W-What!?" He yells before falling to the ground.

"I did it. So, this is Amon's Sword!" I grin as I admire it. I look up at Ahbmad. "The elephant monster has been dealt with!"

"What a useless thing! Is there no one that can finish that piece of trash off!?" He yells in anger.

"Please be at ease, my King," The man known as the Banker says. "Because you still have many bodyguards left," As he says this I notice that I'm quickly being surrounded by some kind of monkey.

"These guys are... those things from before!" I glare at them. "I'm sorry, but I will have to finish you guys with one blow!" I run forward and slash wildly at all the monstrous monkeys. I look back in shock as they begin to regenerate.

"No matter how many times they are slashed apart, they always regenerate themselves," The Banker chuckles from the balcony. "They also possess human intelligence. You could say they are the same as those monsters from the dungeon."

"What an annoying bunch!" I keep slashing at them as they attack me. I look up as a monkey bigger than all the rest steps out. So the monkey boss finally reveals himself. Also, this number of monkey's is troublesome as well! "Before my magoi runs out I'll eliminate all of you!" I yell, charging towards the boss. I stop short when Morgiana is suddenly there, kneeing him right in the mouth. I watch her with wide eyes.

"Coming here alone," She starts. "Don't you think it's a bit too much?" She turns back to me with a small glare.

"Morgiana! Why are you here!?" I quickly begin to attack the monkeys with her by my side.

"Because I wish to become your strength."

"I didn't tell you this because I knew you would say something like that," I look her in the eye as we pause for a moment. "Don't you get it? I didn't tell you guys because this is something I have to do alone."

"I know," She nods. "You still have something that only you can do, hence the reason you're fighting right now. But that thing you need to do, isn't fighting these guys in this kind of place, right!?" She steps in front of me as the boss monkey begins to walk towards us. "Let me handle these guys."

"Stop fooling around! Do you think I will let you do this!?" I yell at her.

"I'm not fooling around. I'm serious," She slowly begins to take a very deep breathe, her arms close to her sides. I quickly cover my ears as a loud roar comes from her, stunning all the monkeys. She turns to me and I gulp quietly. "Alibaba," She smiles brightly at me. "It's fine. Although I look like this, I'm actually very strong!"

"Ah. I see," I mumble. I already knew that.

"Get going then!" She grabs me and lifts me off the ground.

"Eh!?" I scream as she throws me over the wall the monkeys were guarding. I quickly turn myself around to land on my feet.

"Hurry up and go!" She yells from the other side.

"Right," I whisper before nodding firmly. I start running to the doors that lead into the palace. Morgiana, I'm sorry! I must push forward. Even if it's a second earlier, I must move forward, to where Ahbmad is!

 _ **Chapter 9**_

 _ **Alibaba's Pov**_

My eyes narrow on a man that looks like a large cat jumping down from a small balcony. I only begin to run faster. "You're blocking my way! Move!" I yell as our swords meet. My sword cuts through his with ease. Amazing! The sword of Amon can even cut through steel! I raise my sword and charge him again. I'll finish this in one stroke! Just as I was about to hit him, Amon's sword disappears. My eyes widen in shock.

"Seems like you've exhausted your magoi," The cat like man says. He smirks before he slowly begins to walk towards me, drawing another sword. "I see you are a dungeon capturer, but once you deplete your magoi you cannot use your djinn. I was just thinking about facing you in a contest as swordsmen." He draws his sword back as he runs to me. I glare at him, watching him closely as I grab one of the small barrels I've been carrying with me. I throw it at him, soaking him in oil. I quickly make a spark with my blade when he gets close enough. The oil catches on fire, surrounding us with bright flames. "What are you thinking? Playing with fire won't work."

"Amon!" I yell. The flames surrounding us are quickly absorbed into my sword, transforming it back into Amon's weapon. Without wasting a second, I cut him down. "Sorry but, I'm not fooling around." With that I continue to the throne room. I slam the doors open, causing all the guards that are gathered here to turn to me in shock. "Ahbmad!" I yell at him from across the room. "This time, I came to settle the score!" Just as I say this I notice a large hole with dead guards laying inside it between Ahbmad and I. I stare in horror. What is this? Was it done by those monsters!?

"Banker, somehow the bodyguards haven't served their purpose," Ahbmad speaks calmly.

"Yes. However, it seems that in that battle, he has used up all his magoi. He cannot use his djinn anymore," The Banker informs him. The guards in the room quickly surround me.

"From here on I won't be needing the djinn's power. The people in here are different from those monsters. They're all citizens of Balbadd. I don't intend to kill them," I meet Ahbmad eyes as I speak. "Abhmad. I came here to dismiss this country and its imperial ruse from you!" The guards begin to mumble to themselves in confusion.

"Kill him," Ahbmad orders in a lazy fashion. The guards all look at him in shock. "What are you still doing? Execute the rebel. Banker has said that he already used all of his strength so there is nothing to fear." The guards draw closer to me as he speaks.

"All of you, stand back!" I order. "I came in the name of a Prince of Balbadd to speak with King Ahbmad! Do you really think this country can continue on as it is!? All of you should already realize the state the country is in now!"

"Kill him. That thing is just trash from the slums. Don't pay him any heed!" Ahbmad glares coldly at me. The guards quickly move in, trapping me with their spears.

"Let go!" I yell, trying to pry them off.

"L-Let go of Alibaba!" Everyone freezes before looking to the owner of the voice.

"Sahbmad!?" Ahbmad glares at him.

"Brother, I-I…" Sahbmad trembles before lowering his head.

"Don't bother. You all proceed with the command. Kill that thing!" Ahbmad yells.

"Barkak!" Sahbmad suddenly screams. He turns around to face us. "Please capture and suppress the royal guards!" Barkak quickly does as he is ordered with ease.

"You lapdog of the first King. I knew that you would defy me and finally you lost your mind. Barkak!" Ahbmad screams in fury. "The rest of you! Don't listen to this worthless person here!" He stands up, pointing his staff at Sahbmad. "This person is just an accessory! Just a fool who has no right to speak in politics! You all know that already, don't you!?"

"I order you in the name of the Deputy King! Absolutely no one can disturb this discussion between the Third Prince, Alibaba, and our present King!" I hear Sahbmad yell. I look at him in shock. He took the King's staff? "All of you, lower your spears now!" He orders firmly.

"D-Deputy King?" The guards question, lowering their spears a little. "What should we do now?"

"This is... you bastards. So, you teamed with the rebel?" Ahbmad glares at Sahbmad. "Sahbmad, this is your Coup D'état!? You've really been siding with the rebels all along, huh? All this time you've been hiding and leaking information to that terrorist group! Is that what you're trying to tell me!? Well Sahbmad!?"

"That's right!" Sahbmad admits without even shuttering.

"Have you gone mad!? A member of the royalty rebelling against his own country!?" Ahbmad laughs at him.

"My mind is definitely sane. The madness is in your way of doing things. I decided to help the Fog Troupe because of that. I've discussed everything with Alibaba and now that Alibaba is here. Brother, I wanted to tell you that I thought even if I was alone, the signing ceremony would not proceed."

"What is this about?" Ahbmad continues to glare at his brother.

"Bother, or rather, King Ahbmad, withdraw from the throne immediately!" Sahbmad commands him. Ahbmad's eyes go wide in surprise. "As everyone here knows, this country has deteriorated beyond recovery and so, the signing ceremony tomorrow would conclude the National Slavery Act treaty. For the sake of saving this country and before that can happen, I will have you, my brother, step down from the royal throne!"

"So, this is your scheme to replace me as King, huh?"

"I-I… That wasn't what I had in mind," He begins to shutter again.

"Kill him!" Ahbmad suddenly begins to yell. "This person is a rebel that plotted to assassinate the King! Bring me his head at once!" The guards hesitate before they make their way to Sahbmad.

"Hold it!" I step forward. "Please think carefully about what you should be doing! This is your last chance. Citizens that will be affected when the Citizen Slavery Act treaty concludes also includes every single one of you here!" The guards glance around before nervously lowering their heads.

"Lieutenant!" Ahbmad points at the group of guards before him. "Solders of the national armed forces, submit to the orders of your King!"

"We will not submit ourselves anymore. The soldiers which were brutally killed by the monsters from the Kou Empire were my subordinates... my friends." The lieutenant speaks up for everyone.

"What's wrong," Ahbmad mutters. "Why have you all fallen silent?"

"It's useless now, brother, when it was decided that the King would release the people, everyone's hearts had already left you," Sahbmad tells him. "Ahbmad, it has ended a long time ago."

 _ **Amir's**_ __ _ **Pov**_

 _~~Before Alibaba Entered the Throne Room~~_

"What!?" I jump slightly as Father slams his hand down on the table. "Alibaba has intruded the royal palace!?"

"What should we do, Father?" I stand up, completely serious. Alibaba is my friend and he is a dear friend of Aladdin's. I can't let anything happen to him.

"What a thing to do. After the envoys from the allied countries finally arrived." He looks towards the palace through a window. "At this rate, solving this case in a political way is going to be problematic. No, we still might have a chance! I'm heading to the royal palace!"

"Right," I nod firmly. "Then I will be coming with you."

"What about Aladdin?" He turns to me, crossing his arms.

"I will leave him in the care of Ja'far and Masrur. Aladdin can't go to help Alibaba, so I will in his place," I tell him firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

"Alright," He smirks. "Either way you would be coming with me. Now, let's go!" We quickly follow him to the palace. The closer we got, the more rukh I could make out. The palace is being surrounded by the citizens. I can't even find Alibaba's rukh through all of this! We make our way to the palace as quick as we can. Soon we arrive to the throne room where two people are arguing quite loudly.

"To make Balbadd an outstanding republic citizen state! That is what I've come here to do!" I hear Alibaba shout. My eyes wide at his statement. A republic? I follow my father into the room with three diplomatic leaders from the allied countries behind us.

"My, my… so, that is your answer, Alibaba?" Father crosses his arms and smiles towards Alibaba. I stand next to him, staring blankly ahead of me, and the diplomatic leaders stand behind us.

"Ah!" Alibaba gasps in shock. "Sinbad!?"

"I understand that I am interrupting a matter of great importance to the country, please excuse me. I have arrived late. No, you didn't need our help in the first place, Alibaba," Father lightly chuckles.

"King Sinbad and who are they?" Barkak questions,

"They are diplomatic leaders from three different countries from the alliance that I am directing."

"Alliance!? The alliance of The Seven Seas!?" The people begin to whisper.

"The alliance of seven countries that King Sinbad created!" Barkak says in amazement. "Whichever country or small state it is, each has their own great hidden strength. The country of Eriohaphut, Ultimiura, and Imchakk! Why are the diplomatic chiefs of these countries? Why are they here all at once!?"

"To recommend Prince Alibaba Saluja as the King of Balbadd," My father answers. "I thought that to save Balbadd, it would be best if he were King, and so I called them over."

"But it seems you came up with a completely different idea," I look towards Alibaba.

"Sinbad, Amir, I'm sorry for doing things my own way. I thought about what you said to become the King. But to this country, they've decided, that a King brings poverty and strife. That's why for Balbadd to be reborn, the nonexistence of a King is key. That is my answer." I smile faintly at Alibaba. It looks like he decided to believe in himself after all.

"Please hold on for a moment," A voice that is new to me speaks up. The girl walks up to Alibaba. "Being reborn to become a republic. It's as if you're leaving Balbadd to free reign? But you are forgetting something. Balbadd's trading rights, marine rights, air, realm, and every other right, all of it! The collateral of debts for these will be transferred to our Kou Empire! That means everything that is here in Balbadd belongs to the Kou Empire and there isn't anything you can do about it," She smirks at him. I narrow my eyes at her, glaring openly. This must be the Princess I was told about. So, she's the one that hurt Ugo.

"I understand that as well but the transfer of rights, all of it. Please take it as if it didn't happen!" Alibaba doesn't hesitate to say. I stare at him in surprise. What is he thinking now?

"What!?" The Princess gasps.

"Please think about it. King Ahbmad, whom you've exchanged those arrangements with has been taken from the throne. The country of Balbadd which you are referring to has already been destroyed and is a country that no longer exists! What is constructed from now on, is a completely new country! Therefore, the arrangements we had with the Kou Empire shouldn't continue to be in effect! Am I wrong!?" I smirk slightly at this before I quickly hide it. "In any case, the truth is there isn't a marriage partner for you tomorrow, Princess. Once all the arrangements have been canceled, won't you return to his Majesty, the Emperor's side?"

"Meaningless... and, if I return what makes you think my father won't just brush me aside?"

"I cannot fulfill your motive of coming here to be married! Please return!" Alibaba tries again.

"The Kou Empire wants to acquire this land untarnished. However, if that cannot be accomplished, my father may have to deploy his troops here," She smirks at him.

"I also ask you to turn a blind eye on that!" Her smirk quickly turns into a glare.

"How impudent you are!"

"Of course, I'm not asking it for free! My country will repay you with it's maritime trade! Balbadd is the marine trading hub of the south-east region. It is your choice to wage war now and make it a barren wasteland or show kindness now and reap the profits in the future. If you want your respected empire to not rely on only a military force for politics, but also to prosper under a prudent Emperor, which would you choose?" He asks her. She continues to glare at him in silence.

"Princess!" A man yells at her in a panicked voice.

"I won't go along with that kind of reasoning!" She glares even harder at Alibaba now. My father begins to walk forward but I stay put. Even though I am also a Prince this isn't my place to speak.

"I believe that his Majesty wouldn't send his troops here," He tells the Princess. "That's because the peaceful Kingdom of Balbadd is under the alliance of The Seven Seas. What we, The Seven Seas Alliance, have in mind is for you not to raid this country and we can leave his Majesty alone without a glance."

"Eh?" The Princess tilts her head as she watches Father. "However, will The Seven Seas Alliance really go to the extent of including Balbadd? Is it really true that you'll go that far?"

"It's true!" Alibaba speaks up. "At least for some time, we had that arrangement. From before the first King, Balbadd and Sindria have had very deep and close ties! Did you not know this?"

"…Was that so, Ka Koubun?" She questions darkly, tensing up.

"That is true but, that matter and this matter are unrelated," The man who shouted before answers her. She sighs softly before relaxing again.

"I think leaving this case to his Majesty to settle would be for the best," She says softly. "But we will have conditions for our withdrawal," She points to my father. "For the case of Balbadd being truly included into the Alliance, you, King of Sindria, must personally come to speak with the Emperor and show us proof!"

"I will definitely pay a visit!" Father agrees.

"That will be it!" She turns and leaves with Ka Koubun chasing after her.

"We're saved," The guards mumble. I look at Alibaba. I'm actually quite proud of him. Father was right when he said that he had lost his confidence, but it appears that he has regained it. Not a minute passes before we're saying farewell to the diplomatic leaders who need to get back to caring for their own countries.

"Diplomatic Chiefs," Barkak says softly. "Everyone has returned and we haven't expressed our gratitude."

"You really are reckless, Alibaba," I come up behind him with my father. He jumps and turns around quickly.

"Amir, Sinbad!" He gasps before he quickly lowers his head.

"Sneaking into the royal palace by yourself like that, at one point I didn't know what to expect!" Father says.

"I apologies! Willfully doing things…" Alibaba trails off.

"But oh well. I should have expected that you would be thinking something like that." Father gives a him a smile.

"From now on you'll have to continue to give it your all," I lay a hand on Alibaba shoulder. He grins at me.

"Yea! I will!"

"Erm, Alibaba what should we do from now on?" Sahbmad questions him.

"I believe that the end of monarchy will have merit for the peace movement. However, the country cannot continue with the sudden loss of a government," Barkak tells him.

"Exactly!" Alibaba nods. "That's why we will need to construct an interim government. To shape the formation of a republic, firstly we will need to involve the representatives from the citizens to open a discussion session because to hold and election, we will have to have an executive committee. Let's gather up the government officials for a meeting. Please do it immediately. I want to hear your opinions about the elections, elder brother Sahbmad and Barkak," Alibaba smiles at them before getting serious again. "I want the previous King Ahbmad to be held in confinement on a solitary island within Balbadd's territorial waters. The people may ask for a death sentence, but I do not want to kill my own brother and anyway, currently, no one is allowed to punish another in this country. The reason is because the penal law has to be reconstructed," He explains to everyone. "Let's slowly build up order. Though I said republicanism, there are many ways to go about doing that and you may be puzzled. What I want to see is a success, something like that of the Urban State, Kashgan, that's in the middle desert. I want to see Balbadd become like that country, where there is a complete citizen-ruled government, where everyone is not judge by race, upbringing, wealth, or income, but a country ruled by equality. Everyone wouldn't you wish the same?" All the people in the room stare at him in awe. I can't help but grin now. He really has changed since I first met him.

"Looks like he's serious," Father grins as well.

"Let's try it!" The guards all agree with him.

"Republicanism, you say?" The Banker who was hidden away in a corner walks forward. "I wonder if that will go smoothly? Your Highness, the Prince. I too have traveled and seen such countries but these countries proclaim equality definitely spawn governors and they become a fatal flaw. No matter how much you wish for equality people who want to govern will appear. In the end, people will still be governed. Even for this Kingdom, there will be people who wish to be King."

"Even so, we want this country to have even a form of one with no disparities," Alibaba answers him.

"Prince Alibaba!" A guard shouts from the balcony. The masses have returned and are forcing their way in! We will not be able to hold them back much longer!"

"We can't just idle around here! Move quickly, prepare arrangements for the announcement to the people!" Alibaba quickly takes charge again.

"This is also according to the flow of time," I look back to the Banker who began to mumble to himself. My eyes widen in shock. Is that black rukh? It's blocking out the white rukh around it. "As I thought, I am unable to stop it. Oh well, if we make a move they will retaliate." I quickly look back to find Alibaba but I see that he's already stepped out to talk to the people. I narrow my eyes in frustration. I will have to wait to speak with him about the Banker. I can't make a scene in front of the citizens. I listen silently as Alibaba tells them about the reformation with his elder brother Sahbmad by his side.

"You may be hesitant because this is so sudden. Republicanism is that, we will govern our own country but that is already what all of you here have been doing. In this declining country, heavy taxation, poverty, pressure, because you have been fighting against many different things in your families, your own territories, protecting them till today, you are your own governors," Alibaba begins to explain to them. "Also, those royalty and nobility that have put you in these times of affliction are already gone. This place may be struck with war, chaos and disaster, or any other things but when that happens let's all get together and think of a way out. Even if there are times when we cannot find an answer, I will choose to think of a way to let you and your families live happily. Have courage! Everyone takes a first step and live in this land! That is the new form of Balbadd!" Suddenly the crowd bursts to life and begins to talk among themselves in excitement.

"It seems like they're here and now, fate, flow backwards!" I faintly hear from behind me. My eyes narrow as a horrible feeling washes over me. I quickly move towards my father since Alibaba is still talking with the people. I can't wait to talk to Alibaba. If I do it may be too late. He's the only other person that can help with his. Even though I don't want to talk to him I will to help Alibaba protect this country.

"Father!" I yell to grab his attention. He looks at me before quickly coming to my side when he sees how panicked I am.

"What's wrong, Amir?" He grabs my shoulders and checks me over. "Did something happen?"

"I heard something strange from that Banker. I don't know what it was but he suddenly felt so dark." I can't let him know I saw the black rukh. I can't let that happen here. "I don't know how else to explain it. He said something about fate flowing backwards. I have no idea what he meant, but I got this horrible feeling when he said it," I explain in a hurry. His grip begins to tighten on my shoulders, causing me to wince.

"It can't be that group, can it?" He whispers to himself. I watch his rukh as he grows more and more panicked. Whatever this is about, it can't be good.

 _ **Chapter 10**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"I heard that Balbadd is going to become a republic," I hear a voice from the crowds. My eyes widen slightly when I realize that it is Cassim. "And so, the country that was with a King will be evenly divided among the citizens of the country. But, putting it that way, aren't you just cheating us? This land will be divided and given to the people? Every bit of this country was built from the blood and sweat of the citizens. Doesn't that mean that the country was ours to begin with? Whose idea was it for us to be swallowed up by a useless government?" Cassim turns to the people around him. "Don't you remember? Those days when everything was stolen from us during the heavy taxation. We had no food, our parents and siblings died. If monarchy disappears, does that also mean that the sins of the royalty disappear with it? There's no way it could disappear!" He points his blade at Alibaba as he screams. "As I thought, the royalty and those related are all enemies that we have to cut down!"

"Yes," The people begin to mutter.

"Even if Balbadd subscribes to republicanism, my daughter won't return," A woman speaks.

"Let's punish the royalty, nobility and the army, who stole our country from us!" Cassim yells. The people begin to cheer with him.

"Impossible!" Father says. I look at him in confusion. Is this what the Banker was talking about?

 _ **Aladdin's**_ __ _ **Pov**_

"Aladdin." I slowly open my eyes as I hear someone my name. "Welcome back Aladdin… to the Holy Palace." I stare at the head of Ugo in shock.

"Ugo?" I tilt my head.

"That's right. Can you stand me up please?" He asks the strange creatures around him. "I made these guys. Since you weren't here it became very quiet." I nod slightly before looking at my hands.

"I died right?" He chuckles softly.

"Don't worry Aladdin. You haven't died. Its just that your rukh transported yourself here. Your body is still alive. But, it's not safe. Because of such recklessness, you really could have died," He lightly scolds me. "I would have liked to bring that other Magi along as well, but as I thought, it's impossible," He frowns deeply. "There was a hindrance," He looks to me and begins to smile softly. "Come here, Aladdin." I walk up to where his head rests and the creatures are supporting him. "Do you remember? On a whim you left here to go on a journey. Following my wish, you went on a journey to search for metal vessels. You met djinn and the masters of djinn and always seemed to be guided. I didn't teach you anything. You cannot travel spontaneously because the flow has become broken. Life is born and it lives within the flow. To move forward, one must accept that. That is rukh's guidance and that is fate."

"Fate?" I whisper softly. He nods, smiling at me like I never left.

"However, on the surface there are people who try to go against it. The degeneration of evolution, existence becoming nothing, and for everything to become their negative. That is what it means to go against it and that is falling into depravity. And, at that time, the rukh were dyed black. Moreover, you two Magi were both equal. Just like you, I was surprised when a Magi dyed in black stood before you. At that time, you should have died since they've changed fate, but I opposed that. I used up all of the magoi that my master had left for me. You gave me your magoi as well, but I am not your djinn. Though your power is a copy of my masters, it was impossible for me to use it. I couldn't protect you anymore. That's why with the last of the power in the flute, I called you here because I have something important to give you."

"What is it?" I ask him. He just shakes his head at me before he continues to talk.

"Look. As it now, your chosen King shall perish. However, that is not the original flow. The darkness produced by going against fate is what is causing this. It should not be in this world. Even if people used all their strength, they would not be up to the task when the world turns black. To cut through and dispel the darkness, a power will be needed. That's right, a miracle! That is the Magi's mission! However, for that, you have to go to a certain place." The creatures move towards me, wrapping me up in a ball of light. Slowly my eyes begin to close. "For you to understand the world, fate, and yourself. Once you've finished you will have procured my Master Solomon's wisdom." they begin to lift me into the air and towards the large door that leads out of here. I slowly open my eyes to look around.

"Everything's swirling around. Where is this?" My eyes land on a large ball of light. I gaze at it in awe. This is… this is the entrance to an enormous collection of information! Look at those grains.

"They are the elementary particles of the universe's truth. From now on, you will learn everything," Someone says softly to me.

"Who are you?" I ask in confusion. I look around for the new voice but see no one.

"Everything will become clear when this long journey ends."

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Kill them all!" Cassim shouts from outside. "The palace's royal family, bureaucracy, army, and of course, this city's nobility and powerful families!" I can barely hear him over the fighting. This is insane!

"Amir, don't go anywhere," My father tells me before he goes to help the injured. I stare at him and the people around me. I clench my fists in anger. I can't help them unless I want Father to find out my secret.

"We have a huge problem!" Morgiana bursts into the room. "Terrible chaos is beginning to spread outside the palace! What should we do?"

"Damn it. Just what is happening!?" Father yells.

"Deputy Kind!" The guards run through the room towards Sahbmad and Alibaba. "Give the army instructions to attack! Although the enemy may be a rebel army of civilians, as it is now, it's war! The plaza and streets are filled with casualties. The rebels have already penetrated the royal palace! If we don't attack them in their center, the country will be destroyed! Please give us your orders!"

"What should we do Alibaba!?" Sahbmad turns to Alibaba.

"Can half of the army head for the main gate and try to hold back the rebelling citizens to gain time? The rest should suppress those that have already invaded the palace. Sahbmad and those that are injured should take shelter in the inner sanctuary. I'll head to the location of the enemy's boss. I'll stop Cassim." My eyes widen. Is he really going to be able to stop him? I thought Cassim was his family. I shake my head before turning back to my father.

"How can I help?" I ask him.

"Amir," He sighs at me. "There isn't anything you can do. Just go with the injured." I glare at him.

"I won't do that. I'm not as weak and helpless as you think I am!" I yell at him. "I can help! I can go fight… or…" I trail off, looking towards my feet.

"Alright," He says after a minute of thinking. "You can fight if that's what you want to do." He turns to leave. "Just don't die or Yamuraiha will have my head." I glare at him coldly before I turn towards the balcony. They haven't started fighting yet. Maybe Alibaba can talk Cassim out of his.

"Hey Alibaba, what's up?" Cassim smiles at him as they face off. "Your face doesn't look too good."

"What are you doing, Cassim?" Alibaba speaks calmly. "The monarchy ended. There's no need to shed any more blood. Yet you… why!? Answer me Cassim!"

"You too. What are you doing, Alibaba? A country of equality with no King? Such a thing... When did I wish for that?" Cassim raises his weapon. I watch as something shoots from it towards Alibaba. This has to be the black fog.

"Cassim, you bastard!" Alibaba yells as he dodges it. The other people with metal vessel begin to fire at Alibaba. Alibaba doesn't bother to dodge this time. He summons Amon's flames, dispersing the fogs.

"Sekigen Mutou!" One shouts. The fog quickly surrounds Alibaba.

"Hey, Alibaba, don't you think children of the royal family should live like royalty? And a brat of the slums should live their whole life in the slums." The fogs grab hold of Alibaba, holding him in place. I grip the railing of the balcony tightly. I need to help him.. but this is also his fight. "I don't think that. Everyone's the same human being. That's why anyone has the qualifications to be King!" He raises his sword above his head. A huge ball of fog forms and he throws it at Alibaba. My eyes widen in surprise when Alibaba summons Amon's sword and breaks free. He cuts through all the fog with ease.

"Cassim, basically you are saying that you wanted to become King! I won't allow anything else to be swallowed up by your selfish ambitions!" Alibaba moves into a proper fighting stance.

"What's with that sword!?" Cassim yells, glaring at Alibaba.

"It doesn't matter what kind of sword you have! Oushou Mutou will just melt them!" A large man shouts as he attacks. I smirk as Alibaba easily cuts through all of their weapons. He holds his sword to Cassim's neck, making him kneel on the ground.

"Draw back your troops Cassim. I'll make you draw back with all my strength!"

"Prince Alibaba has completely suppressed the enemy inside the royal palace!" A guard shouts, raising his spear.

"Alibaba I'm not going to do something like withdraw my troops," Cassim says calmly. He begins to stand up, Alibaba's sword following him the whole way. "If you want them to withdraw then you'll have to kill me. I've decided this long ago; you should've also been prepared. So, do it." He steps forward as Alibaba begins to panic. "Do it. Do it! I'm telling you to kill me Alibaba!" He screams.

"Cassim, you! Damn it!" Alibaba yells as he pulls his sword back to cut Cassim down. Just as he was about to connect, Amon's sword disappears. Alibaba falls to his knees, stabbing his sword into the ground. "As if I could do that, you idiot! Cassim, withdraw your troops! If we stop this right now, the rebellion will end! Then, who knows how you will be treated, so…"

"You're really soft," Cassim chuckles. "You think so too, right? Anyways, I'm going to surrender here so, see you," He walks past Alibaba and towards the guards. They quickly enclose him with their spears.

"Arrest the rebellion's ringleaders!" They shout and quickly take action.

"Leader!" The Fog Troupe yells in panic. Cassim just smiles at them. Slowly he raises his sword above his head before stabbing himself in the stomach. My eyes go wide in shock.

"W-What is he doing!?" The guards shout.

"Watch… people from the slums, citizens, nobles, royalty, everyone, this is the proof of obtaining hidden power!" He pulls the sword from himself, smiling at everyone around him. "Assemble! Everything return!" The metal vessel that were broken slowly lift into the air before flying towards Cassim. I watch in horror as he is stabbed over and over. Slowly the weapons are absorbed into him and he begins to transform into a huge monster.

"What the hell is that!?" People begin to scream. I start to shake as I stare at it. It's so dark.

"Ridiculous!" Father shouts, running up to my side. "That's impossible! That's djinn equipment!? No! That's a djinn itself!" My eyes go wide. A djinn... like Ugo? This is nothing like Ugo. This is evil. The dark djinn lifts itself into the air with its large wings before letting out a shout roar. I quickly cover my ears, closing my eyes tightly. How are we going to stop this!?

"What is that!?" Alibaba screams. I shake in fear as I watch the dark djinn attacks two guards. They scream, unable to move. I sigh in relief when Morgiana saves them.

"Please get a hold of yourself Alibaba!" She shouts at him. "As it is now, everyone will get crushed! Alibaba!" The djinn turns to the balcony and my heart stops.

"H-Hey… he's looking this way!" Ahbmad screams. The djinn speeds towards us to attack.

"Haa!" Morgiana yells as she jumps up into the air to stop the djinn. Her kick connects with the side of its head, throwing the dark djinn to the ground. "Alibaba! Quickly! Please kill that thing with your sword!" Alibaba stands before the djinn but doesn't move to attack.

"Are you Cassim!?" He glares down at the djinn. It replies with another attack. Alibaba acts fast. He summons Amon's sword and cuts through the djinn's left arm. "Did I get it!?"

"Once more Alibaba!" Morgiana shouts. Alibaba moves in to finish the djinn but stops short when black rukh gathers around the monster. The black rukh forms into a left arm.

"What the!? It regenerated!?" Alibaba shouts in surprise. It lets out another roar, making me cover my ears again. I watch as Morgiana attacks again, but this time the djinn sends her flying over the palace wall. The dark djinn begins to form a huge ball of dark rukh above it's head.

"Damn it! As if I'll let you do that!" Alibaba runs forward to attack.

"Look! Its target is the palace!" The guards shout.

"Stop it!" Alibaba cries out as a blinding light surrounds us. I quickly close my eyes as the rukh overwhelms me. The light disappears as soon as it came.

"Sinbad!" Alibaba shouts. My eyes go wide and I quickly turn back the dark djinn to see my father on top of its head.

"Father!" I yell in worry, completely forgetting about my secret. He pulls back his hand before stabbing it into the djinn. It cries out in pain and begins to thrash around. The black ball slowly disappears. "No!" I scream as the black rukh hurts my father through contact. He coughs up blood but doesn't let go.

"Alibaba! I'll hold him down! Finish him off then! Only your sword can do it!" Father orders him. "This thing has a will. It will massacre this country's royalty and those that were affiliated with the monarchy. This is the will of revolution. We cannot allow that to happen!" Father coughs up more blood as the rukh attacks. Father shakily begins to speak again. "A revolution built on blood. While there is justification for every violent action since the world began. People repeat bloody revolutions. Balbadd is falling down that path! The only one who can save this country, the only one who can create a bloodless revolution is you! Alibaba! Kill him!" Alibaba glares at the djinn, gripping his sword tightly.

"Ahh!" Alibaba screams as he attacks the dark djinn. His sword connects with the djinn's stomach and pushes him back into the wall. My eyes widen when I notice that his sword isn't touch the djinn, but rather something similar to a borg. Amon, give me strength or else it'll be too late." The sword begins to glow slightly.

"The djinn equipment evolved!?" Father shouts in shock. Alibaba begins to push through the barrier again. Slowly the djinn's center opens up to reveal a body.

"Cassim!?" Alibaba falters. The djinn takes advantage of his shock and throws him back.

"Alibaba!" Father shouts. The djinn moves fast. He reaches up and grabs Father, throwing him at Alibaba. Alibaba opens his arms to catch him, but Morgiana appears. She is quickly between the two, stopping Father from crashing into Alibaba.

"You alright?" She asks in worry. She stands up after he nods. "That guy can use strange techniques that either attracts or repels people."

"It's gravity magic," Father coughs. "He uses a repulsion force to repel things. A repulsion force so strong that he can't be touched." I stop listening to them and look to the djinn. If he uses magic then can I help somehow? Would I even be able to do something or would I just be useless again? I clench my fists, shaking slightly. What should I do? My eyes widen when I see the military attacking the djinn to protect Alibaba.

"Everyone, attack at once! Don't let that monster advance!" Sahbmad orders. I watch in amazement as they hold their ground. Alibaba stands back up, readying himself for another attack. He jumps high into the air before coming down on the djinn with Amon's sword. I gasp softly when I see someone covered in black rukh behind him.

"Alibaba! Watch out!" I scream as loud as I can. At this point, I can no longer keep my secret. People will die if I do. I watch in horror as he is blown to the ground by the dark man above him. I look back to the man floating in the sky. I begin to shake again. There's so many black rukh. It's blocking almost everything out. I shake my head roughly to get a hold of myself. Slowly I stop shaking. I can't act like a scared little kid right now. I need to focus.

"J-Judal!" Father shouts.

"Hey, is this fine?" Judal asks, looking over his shoulder.

"Yes, sorry for troubling you when you've just recovered from your wounds, Magi." My eyes snap towards the Banker. I watch him as he walks up towards the dark Magi.

"Is there any worth in killing that kind of guy?" Judal asks in boredom.

"He has already interfered with our flow many times. Furthermore, I reckon he'll become a troublesome existence in the future. That's why it's better to get rid of him now."

"Other than that, what's going on?" He looks at his hands. "I feel like I'm overflowing with power."

"You have a body that went through depravity. The black rukh in the surroundings will naturally add to your strength." My eyes widen shock. He's growing stronger because of the black rukh? I'm snapped from my thoughts when I feel a great power. I quickly look around for it. I see a large amount of white rukh in the distance that's shaped like a bird. My shoulder sag in relief when I recognize the rukh.

"Aladdin," I whisper softly before I smile softly. "You're okay." My attention is quickly drawn back to Judal and the Banker when they begin speaking again.

"Judal, just like you, he is a djinn who is entrusted with black rukh. Use your power to control him. That way, he'll become your servant!" The Banker tells Judal. Judal grins widely at that.

"Quickly become mine already!" Judal shouts as he strikes the dark djinn with lightning magic. The magic causes a large cloud of smoke. When it clears, Judal is floating in front of the djinn with a satisfied smile.

"Thalg Al-Salos!" Judal yells without warning. My eyes widen in shock and I helplessly watch as the ice hits my father head on. Father cries out as the ice connects and pushes him back into the wall. It quickly freezes him in place.

"Urgh…" Father lightly groans.

"Behave, Sinbad," Judal smiles at him. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll make you mine later, too."

"Damn!" Father glares at him as he struggles against the ice.

"Now!" Judal points his wand to Alibaba. "It's finally time to kill you!" Ice flies through the air to Alibaba.

"Alibaba!" Morgiana yells as she leaps into action once again. She barely manages to get Alibaba out of the way.

"Morgiana," Alibaba slowly gets to his feet. "Can you throw me up there?" He points to the dark djinn. "I still have enough power to make an attack like before. I'll use this power to finish him off."

"B-But," Morgiana shutters. "The situation is worse than before! The number of enemies has increased and the demon has already recovered from its injury!"

"Then, I just have to use a power even stronger than before. Sinbad said it before, as long as I exhaust the magoi within my body, I'll be able to do it!"

"No! You can't do that!" She yells at him.

"There's no other way," Alibaba tells her firmly.

"B-But you might die."

"If we cared about something like that, everything that everyone has been protecting until now will be destroyed! I've got to do this! Please Morgiana!" My eyes narrow at Judal. If Alibaba does this then he'll be distracted. Maybe I can help Father. I quickly run back inside the palace and down the stairs as fast as I can. I don't have much time if I'm going to do this. When I make it outside I see that the djinn has a large sword. Amon's sword connects with it before it cracks and breaks. Alibaba is thrown back down by the force.

"Alibaba!" Morgiana runs to where he lays. I quickly make my way to Father.

"Amir, what are you doing!?" He whispers harshly to me. I glare at him as I try to break away the ice.

"Whatever I can to help," I answer him softly.

"Amir, you can't help me. The ice is solid," He sighs before looking back to Alibaba who had tried to attack again. "Protect Alibaba. He's the only one who can end this. He can't die," I look up at him in shock before I nod slowly.

"Alright. I'll do my best!" I turn to Alibaba, noticing another attack headed his way. I pull my staff out as I run to him.

"Amir!?" Alibaba and Morgiana shout in surprise. I don't respond to them. When the ice magic gets close enough, I put up a borg to protect Alibaba and Morgiana. It hits the borg hard, causing it to crack.

"Sharrar Magd," I say softly. As I commanded, the water makes me invisible. I smirk a little before silently moving behind Judal. I've never gotten to use this magic before.

"What the hell?" I hear Judal say. "Was that Sinbad?" He tilts his head, looking over to my father in confusion. He crosses his arms, looking around for me. I narrow my eyes at him. I have one spell he won't see coming, but I haven't mastered it yet. It's also going to use a lot of magoi. I clench my fists tightly in frustration. If only I knew more than just water magic. I look back to my father, who is still struck in the ice. I don't have a choice. I have to at least buy everyone some time.

"Sharrar Raqi!" I shout, pointing my staff at Judal. Slowly, steam begins to form around him.

"What is this?" Judal looks at his hands. "H-Hey!" He starts to panic as it grows hotter. Normally this spell won't do much damage, but if I use all my magoi and focus then it may be enough to scare him off. I start to pant softly as I keep the spell up that's heating the water in Judal's body. I smirk faintly when I notice that his skin is bright red, which means his insides must be boiling. Soon the magic keeping me invisible disappears. "Y-You little brat!" Judal screams when he spots me. "What are you doing to me!?" I just smirk weakly at him. He glares coldly at me before raising his wand.

"Thalg Thalgeyya!" Judal shouts. My eyes go wide in panic. There's no way I can dodge this! I watch as tornadoes of ice form and quickly make their way to me. I have no choice but to drop the spell on Judal and form a borg.

"Amir!" I hear Alibaba yell as he starts to run to me.

"Stay away!" I yell at him. He doesn't listen though. I watch as he stands in front of me, his arms stretched out to protect me. I glare at him, before pulling him backwards and into my borg. I close my eyes tightly, waiting for the impact that never comes. When I open my eyes, I see a huge pillar of light.

"Really, you're such a strange person," I hear a familiar voice say. I sigh in relief when I recognize it. He saved us. "But because that is who you are, I want to be of help to you and I'll stretch out my hand to you no matter how many times." Aladdin turns to Alibaba with a grin on his face. "Hey, Alibaba!" He looks at me over Alibaba's shoulder and gives me a soft smile. I can't help but grin widely at him.

"You have finally arrived. I've been waiting for you!" Judal grins widely at Aladdin. "Let me say this, Chibi, I won't lose this time because I've attained a djinn, too!" The dark djinn roars from behind him. I wince at the loud roar. "Okay, call out your djinn now! Call it out now!" Judal summons ice spears and attacks Aladdin. Aladdin stands calmly as the spears fly towards us. He puts a borg up when they get close enough. The ice hits but does nothing to Aladdin's borg. "Hmph. A barrier that defends against attacks with malice. Isn't it normal for a Magi to be able to do that? Just let out your djinn now and fight me!" Aladdin ignores him and turns to my father who is still pinned to the wall.

"Mister, are you alright?"

"Ah… yeah," My father nods. "Aladdin. The only person left who can match up to them is your djinn!"

"Are you talking about Ugo?" Aladdin grabs the flute that hangs from his neck. "If you're talking about him." He smiles sadly and grips the flute tightly. "He's not here anymore." My eyes widen in shock. Ugo is dead?

"Not here? What do you mean?" Judal glares harshly at him. "Without a djinn you're just a normal brat. Die," Judal sends a large attack at Aladdin. Aladdin crosses his arms over his chest before throwing his arms wide open. Judal's attack is blown away by the power Aladdin summoned. I gasp and shield my eyes from the bright light. He summoned so many rukh. So many that all I can see is white.

"What!? Rukh's divine protection!? No, that's wrong!" Judal glares at him. I slowly open my eyes, trying to make out what is going on. I faintly see the outline of a giant human. Is that Ugo? I thought he wasn't here anymore.

"Wha!?" The guards shout. "That's a white giant!?"

"Ah? What the…?" Judal mumbles. "Although it bears the appearance of that giant that's just purely heat magic! You're such a boring brat, just die already!" Aladdin raises his arms above his head and clasps his hands together. He points his staff towards Judal and the dark djinn.

"Har-Har Infigar!" Aladdin shouts. My eyes go wide in shock as flames consume everything in front of him.

"Uooo!" I hear Judal scream. Aladdin turns back to my father.

"Mister, are you alright?" He asks again. I notice that the heat magic has melted the ice.

"Yeah!" Father replies, holding his right shoulder as he gets to his feet.

"Then, Mor, can you help me take Mister to the town? There are people waiting for him."

"B-But," Morgiana tries to protest.

"It's alright! Now go!" Aladdin smiles at her. I flinch in shock as I see black rukh from the corning of my eye.

"Aladdin!" I shout in warning. He quickly turns back to where Judal is.

"Making a fuss over something of this level," Judal emerges from the rubble. "Don't disappoint me Chibi!" The dark rukh comes to life as he shouts. It quickly surrounds him.

"Hm," Aladdin hums, looking up at Judal. "Looks like I can't win."

"Eh!?" Alibaba yells. I slowly get up and make my way to Aladdin's side. He looks at me and smiles. I smile back. It seems that he does have a plan.

"Alibaba, Amir, because my magic is still incomplete I can't win against him, no matter what I do," Aladdin turns to Alibaba, holding his hand out to him. "I need your strength. If it's you, we can definitely defeat that guy and the black djinn!"

"I wish to do so, too!" Alibaba looks down. "But I've lost my sword and I have no magoi left. I can no longer fight!" He yells in anger.

"That's not true," Aladdin smiles at him and lightly lays his hand on Alibaba's shoulder. "Take a closer look." I watch as they both glow as the rukh surrounds them. Aladdin must be showing him something very important. "Everyone's hopes within their hearts," Aladdin removes his hand and the glowing stops.

"Everyone's!" Alibaba says in awe.

"That's why we can still, continue to fight!" Aladdin turns to face Judal. He raises his arms and begins to gather rukh again. I watch with wide eyes. What is this? This isn't heat magic. The rukh gathers and swirls around us wildly before settling on Aladdin's forehead.

"Wisdom of Solomon!" Aladdin says, glaring up at Judal. I gaze at the symbol on his forehead in awe. Aladdin, just how strong have you become?

"Aladdin's head is…!?" Alibaba stares at Aladdin with wide eyes. I watch as the rukh around us forms into what looks like humans before disappearing. "What was that just now?"

"Well, I made everyone come over to guide you and your friend," Aladdin smiles at him before turning to the dark djinn before us. "Alibaba, that's your important friend, right? He has completely fallen into the darkness now. You are the only one who can save him. Use your sword to cut through the darkness!"

"I want to do that too, but the sword is already…" Alibaba trails off, looking at his broken sword.

"It's alright! Amon's sword can be restored! As long as we combine our strength!" Aladdin's staff begins to glow. He raises his arms high above his head. "Har-Har Infigar!" A large ball of flames form above Aladdin. I watch in confusion as Aladdin turns his attack to Alibaba.

"What are you doing!?" I shout as the flames surround Alibaba.

"Hey… Hey Aladdin!?" Alibaba cries out.

"Rukh's flames!" Aladdin grins at him. I stare in shock as Amon's sword absorbs the flames and repairs itself. "Although this heat magic is the only magic I can use now it's fortunate that you sword is a sword of flames! This, too, is surely not a coincidence!"

"Amon's sword is restored!" Alibaba holds it up in amazement. He quickly stands back up, ready to fight again.

"Let's go!" Aladdin yells as they charge forward.

"As if I would let that happen!" Judal yells at Alibaba. He makes an ice spear and throws it towards Alibaba. Aladdin counters it with his heat magic. Alibaba runs his sword through the djinn, flames sprouting from the wound he caused. My eyes go wide when the rukh springs forward to attack Alibaba. It wraps around him before dragging him into the djinn.

"Prince Alibaba!" The guards scream. "That's just a joke, right!?"

"What's that? He was swallowed into the djinn's stomach. Looks like that was just a bluff, haha!" Judal laughs. Aladdin turns to him with a cold look in his eyes.

"I have some things I want to tell you," Aladdin says calmly. The symbols on his forehead begins to glow brighter.

"Ahh?" Judal tilts his head. Seconds later he's holding his head screaming. "What? This is… stop it… stop it!" He cries out as he falls to the ground.

"What?" I look at Aladdin in confusion. How did he do that? Slowly Judal begins to stagger to his feet, looking quite dazed. His dazed look turns into a heated glare as his eyes land on Aladdin. Judal starts to throw ice spear after ice spear, trying to end this. Aladdin is quick to dodge Judal's rapid attacks. I notice Aladdin's forehead begin to glow again, causing Judal's attacks to falter.

"Urgh!" Judal holds his head. "Don't show me anymore of these weird things!" Judal screams, attacking wildly.

"Aladdin!" I cry out as Judal's attack breaks his borg. I quickly run to Aladdin, ready to protect him from the dark Magi. I put my own borg up to fend off Judal's attacks.

"Amir," I faintly hear Aladdin. "Just hold on a little longer, okay?" I shakily nod, putting the rest of my strength into my borg. "Alibaba!" Aladdin turns to the dark djinn, his forehead once again glowing. I don't have time to question what he's doing as Judal attacks again. I pant heavily as Judal's attacks continue to grow stronger. Slowly my borg begins to crack and break away. I cry out, flying back into Aladdin when he finally breaks through it with a ball of pure rukh. "Amir!" Aladdin catches me as we fly back. Suddenly the dark djinn begins to scream in pain. I look towards it in surprise.

"What's happening!?" The people around us scream. I sigh in relief as the black rukh begins to turn white.

"What's going on!?" Judal collapses to his knees. "I can't concentrate my powers!?" Before anyone could move a large cloud of black rukh picks Judal up.

"We'll meet again, Magi!" The Banker yells. Both Judal and the Banker then disappear along with all the black rukh. Soon the only thing we could hear is Alibaba sobbing. Aladdin helps me to my feet before turning to Alibaba. I notice that Alibaba is holding something, but I can't tell what since it doesn't have any rukh.

"Welcome back, Alibaba," Aladdin says softly.

"I couldn't protect anything," Alibaba cries. "Everyone died! And I couldn't do anything at all. They surely still had many things they wanted to do. And Cassim, too. In the end, I still couldn't save him!" Alibaba clutches the body closer to him. I frown deeply at this. So, the thing he's holding is Cassim?

"Alibaba, whether you saved him or not, let's ask him personally!" Aladdin smiles at him. He raises his arms to summon more rukh, the symbol on his head glowing brightly. "Let me tell you, just because people have died doesn't mean that they have disappeared completely. Wisdom of Solomon!" I quickly shield my eyes from all the rukh.

"What is it this time!? Something... someone!?" The guards shout. "No!? This time there's much more compared to before!?" Slowly I open my eyes to see the rukh has taken the form of people.

"Ah! Look, here they come!" Aladdin grins widely. The some rukh lands in front of Alibaba who stares up at it in shock.

"Mother!? Father- Balbadd's late King!?" Alibaba shouts in shock. All I can do is stare in shock. How is this even possible? "Eh? That's… why!?" Alibaba points at them shakily.

"They were the rukhs from their corporeal bodies before but now, they're part of the great almighty flow," Aladdin explains.

"The rukh's flow?" Alibaba looks up at him.

"It isn't that these people disappear after their deaths. It's just that they return to the great almighty rukh. That is, being connected to everything enveloping the world. The flow never stops. It'll endlessly protect and be the ally of us, the living. That's why, although a person's death is a tragic thing, it's not a farewell," Aladdin lays a hand on Alibaba's shoulder. "Every action you take, every path you walk in life, they'll always be watching. They'll always be protecting you." Aladdin turns to the rest of the rukh. "Okay, everyone go now! To the side of those people you've cherished!" The rukh flies forward, landing in front of various people. I watch as two land in front of Alibaba. His eyes go wide in surprise.

"Mariam!? Cassim!?" Alibaba gasps.

"Magi are really amazing," I jump in surprise when someone speaks from behind me. I quickly turn to see my father, Ja'far, and Masrur.

"Yeah," I agree after a moment before looking back towards Aladdin.

"Hey, do you really think that you didn't manage to save them?" Aladdin asks Alibaba. "Your friend, and the country's darkness is already gone." Suddenly the rukh begins to slowly disappear as they float into the sky.

"Aladdin! Alibaba!" I hear Morgiana yell from behind us.

"Mor!" Aladdin grins at her. I watch as she runs to them, tackling them with a hug.

"Well Father," I turn to look at him. "It looks like we managed to help after all." He smiles faintly at me, raising a hand to ruffle my hair. My eyes widen at this and nearly tear up.

"Yea, I guess we did."

 _ **Chapter 11**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

 _~~One Month Later, Sindria~~_

"Amir you can't just keep avoiding me!" Aladdin shouts at me as I leave him. I clench my fists in anger, in anger at myself. I know I shouldn't be avoiding him, but I can't help it. He wants answers that I'm afraid to give.

"Oh Amir, will you lend me a hand again today?" Ja'far says as he notices me. I groan softly before nodding.

"Alright," I say softly, following him to my father's office. Right now, my father is in the Kou Empire, so Ja'far has his hands full with all his work. I usually help him in any way I can when Father isn't around. For the rest of the day and late into the night I help Ja'far.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today," Ja'far sighs, slumping in his chair. I also sigh in relief, leaning back with my eyes closed. Well at least when I'm working I'm not thinking about Aladdin. "Amir, is something going on between you and Aladdin?" Ja'far asks after a few minutes of silence. I frown deeply. Of course, he brings Aladdin up.

"No, why?" I mumble.

"You haven't been hanging out like you were in Balbadd. Did you get into a fight?"

"No," I shake my head, standing up. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted from training and all this work."

"Alright," Ja'far says softly. I quickly leave before he can question me again. I sigh deeply to myself on my way back to my room. What am I going to do? I want him to know, but I've never talked about it to anyone. I didn't even tell Yam about that day. I go to open my door when someone grabs my shoulders, turning me around and pushing me into the door. I gasp in shock, staring wide eyed at Aladdin. I was thinking so hard I didn't even notice him.

"Amir," He glares at me, before sighing. "Stop avoiding me, please," He whispers brokenly. I immediately feel guilty. This whole time I've been hurting him, and all I could think about was myself. I look down in shame.

"I-I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice breaking. "I-I just don't know how to talk about it," I finally admit.

"You can take all the time you need to tell me," Aladdin slowly lets me go. "But I hate how you've been ignoring me." He turns to leave after that. I quickly grab his wrist in panic.

"Wait!" I blush faintly, staring at his bright rukh. "I-I'll tell you… but you'll have to bear with me." I faintly notice him nodding as I gently pull him into my room. I walk to my bed before collapsing onto it. After a few moments I feel the bed dip as he sits. "I've never talked about this before," I whisper softly.

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Y-Yeah. If anyone is going to find out, then I want it to be you," I start to blush again. I sit up quickly, coughing awkwardly. "Ask me anything… I'll answer the best I can."

"Well… how did you end up blind? When you were hurt in Balbadd, you were saying how everything was so dark and you couldn't see." I stiffen at his question. Of course, he's going to start off with that one.

"I-I…" I choke on my words as I remember that day. "I failed someone," I finally manage to say. I jerk in surprise when he gently takes my hand in his.

"It's okay," He smiles softly at me. "Just let it out." I nod shakily, holding his hand tightly. "Now what do you mean? How did you fail someone?" I take a deep breath to calm myself before speaking again.

"I couldn't save him. I watched him die." Tears quickly fill my eyes and cover my cheeks. "W-We were playing on the beach during Mahrajan and another sea monster attacked. A southern creature." I start to cry harder as I remember his broken body and all the blood. Aladdin acts quickly. He pulls me into his arms, holding me close to him. "H-He was my best friend! He was like a little brother to me and I couldn't save him!" I cry into his chest. "I-I tried to stop the monster, to get him out of there, but I couldn't!" I cry out. I try to calm myself before continuing. "I honestly don't remember much after I saw he was d-dead. I remember that I attacked it but that's it. When I woke up I couldn't see anything but small specks of light," I hug Aladdin tighter as I finish, feeling like a weight was lifted from me. Aladdin doesn't speak for a long minute. He just continues to hold me and to comfort me.

"What was his name?" He asks softly.

"N-Naji," I struggle to speak the name. I haven't said that name in five years.

"And he was your brother?"

"N-No. Well kind of. Yam raised us both, so we were always together. He was actually Masrur's adopted son."

"What was he like?" I slowly pull back, smiling faintly at the memories.

"H-He was really shy. He was so shy that he hid most of his face and never talked. It took a few months for him to open up to me. He was three at the time," More tears fill my eyes. "H-He was about to be five when he died." Aladdin gently rubs my back to calm me. "I know I didn't know him long but he was my first friend and my little brother."

"It doesn't matter if you didn't know him long. You loved him and cared for him a lot." I nod slowly, agreeing with him.

"O-Okay," I wipe away my tears. "Next question. I can't talk about him anymore." He nods in understanding.

"Well I was kind of wondering how you can see the rukh," He speaks after thinking on it.

"I actually don't know how I can. I think it developed while I was in that coma…" I trail off, looking down.

"Wait, you were in a coma?" He nearly shouts in shock.

"Uh… yeah. That sea monster got me pretty good but before it could kill me my father showed up," I nod slightly.

"For how long?" He tilts his head.

"I think it was two months. I can't remember." Aladdin frowns deeply but nods.

"Oh. Anyway, you think you developed the ability just because you were in a coma?"

"I can't think of any other reasons," I shrug halfheartedly.

"That's strange," He mumbles to himself.

"Next question," I demand softly. I want this talk to be over. I don't know how much more I can take.

"Okay. What's going on between you and Mister Sinbad?"

"What do you mean?" I frown at him.

"Why does he act the way he does to you? He's your dad, but he acts like he hates you." I flinch slightly at that.

"H-He may hate me. I don't really know anymore. He started to act like that after I became blind. Before that accident he was always around," I smile faintly. "He would make Ja'far do all his work so he could spend time with me. He used to l-love me." I look down.

"But why would you be becoming blind change that?" He questions in confusion. I glare at my lap as I remember what he said right before he began to ignore me.

"I remember him telling this to one of the generals. He said that if he had to have a son, then he didn't want a weak one." I clench my fists in anger. "But I'm not weak! I trained every day in magic and swordsmanship so I could be strong like him but he never let me show him! He was the one who became blind, not me!" I yell in anger. "H-He couldn't see me as me anymore," I admit, slumping in defeat. I can feel Aladdin staring at me in shock and silence quickly fills the room.

"Amir," Aladdin says softly before scooting closer to me. I turn to look at him, relaxing a little at the sight of his rukh. His rukh is always so pure and bright looking. It always manages to make me feel safe. "Have you ever tried to sit down with Mister Sinbad and talk?"

"Of course, I have. I used to try all the time, but now I've just given up on it," I whisper brokenly.

"But hasn't he been acting nicer lately?" He tilts his head. I frown slightly. That's right. The way he was acting in Balbadd was pretty strange.

"Yes," I finally admit. "But I don't know why he's acting nice all of a sudden."

"I think I know why," He smiles brightly at me. I just continue to frown at him. "Mister Sinbad started to act more like a father when you got hurt. So maybe he's remembering how he used to care." I shake my head.

"Even if that's true he shouldn't have forgotten how he cared about me before," I say coldly. Aladdin's smile dims a little.

"Maybe the accident was just as hard on him as it was you."

"That still doesn't explain why he ignored me for so long!" I shout in anger. Aladdin flinches, causing me to pale. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." I look down at my lap.

"It's okay, Amir," He gently takes my hand in his.

"Can we stop talking about this?" I whisper softly. He simply nods, smiling at me.

"Why don't we get some sleep? It's getting pretty late," He stands up, his grip on my hand loosening. I quickly tighten my grip.

"Aladdin," I sit up, blushing a little. "C-Can you stay here tonight?" I ask shyly. For a minute all he does is stare at me.

"If you want me to, then of course I will," He smiles brightly. I sigh in relief, giving him a soft smile in return. Slowly, I crawl up my bed and get under the covers. Aladdin also gets under them. "Goodnight," He says, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight," I whisper back.

 _~~The Next Morning~~_

"Amir!" I faintly hear a female's voice and knocking on my door. I groan softly and cuddle into the warmth next to me. "Are you awake yet?" I hear the door open and then a surprised gasp. "Amir!" The woman shouts. I jerk up at the noise, looking around wildly. I calm down when I see Yamuraiha's rukh.

"What is it?" I mumble, rubbing my eyes tiredly. I barely got any sleep last night.

"Why is there another boy in your bed?" She glares at me. I tilt my head in confusion. My eyes go wide when I see Aladdin's rukh fluttering around me. I immediately turn bright red. I was cuddled up to him, wasn't I?

"Y-Yam-" I start but she cuts me off.

"Don't Yam me!" She shrieks. I feel Aladdin sit up slowly.

"What's with all the noise?" He whines softly. If possible, I blush even harder. I silently listen as Yam begins to yell at Aladdin and me. I sigh in irritation after a good five minutes.

"Yam!" I shout over her. "Just let me talk!" Her glare becomes even colder, but she nods silently in agreement. I don't respond to her nod though. Only Aladdin knows about my sight and I do not feel like talking about all that again.

"Alright," She sighs after a minute. "Talk."

"Aladdin and I were just hanging out last night and fell asleep." Well it's not all a lie.

"And just who is Aladdin? You've never spoken of him before," She crosses her arms.

"He's part of the group that came back with us from Balbadd. He's a close friend, so please just stop," I beg her. I hear her sigh deeply.

"Fine. Just get ready. We have training in an hour." With that she turns and leaves.

"What just happened?" Aladdin finally speaks up.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," I mumble, getting out of bed. "But I do have to get ready for training."

"Oh alright," He also gets up. "Then I think I'll go find Alibaba and Morgiana." I nod, smiling faintly at him.

"Okay, I'll see you later," I leave him to go get ready. Soon I find myself walking towards Yam's office. I already know what's going to happen when I get there.

"Amir!" Yam jumps up as I enter the room. Before I even have time to say anything she's pulling me to a chair. "Now tell me about this close friend of yours!" I sigh deeply at her. I knew it. She may have been acting strict before, but it was just because Aladdin was there.

"There's nothing to tell," I cross my arms. "Can we just get today's training over with?"

"Why? So you can go find your close friend?" She teases me. I blush lightly and glare at her. She simply laughs at me. "I knew it!"

"Oh, shut up!" I blush even brighter. Slowly she begins to calm down.

"Amir, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I-I know," I stutter in a hurry. I watch as she lifts an eyebrow up at me.

"Or is there? Is he more than a friend?" She questions, completely serious now.

"Of course not!" I stand up glaring at her. "H-He's a boy! I don't… I don't like boys!" I yell in defense. Yam stands up calmly before placing her hands on my shoulders gently.

"It's okay, you know?" She says in a comforting voice. "If you like him then that's perfectly fine." I stare at her in shock.

"I-I…" I slowly back away from her. "I don't know." I look down.

"I'm sure you'll figure your feelings out soon," She makes her way back to her work table. "Now, let's begin today's lesson." I look over towards her, smiling faintly. I'm actually glad that she said all that. She's unknowingly making things easier for me. I slowly walk over to the woman who's always been there for me, ready to learn everything I can from her. I stop short, looking at her rukh. Her rukh has always brought comfort to me, like a mother's comfort. Yam really is like a mother to me.

 _~~Five Months Later~~_

My eyes widen slightly and I look towards the palace. My father, he has finally returned it seems. I frown lightly at this.

"Amir, are you okay?" Aladdin asks from beside me. I look at him and smile faintly.

"Yes," I nod. "It's just… my father is back." He tilts his head in confusion.

"You can tell even though we're this far from the palace?" I grin at him.

"Yep! Over these past few months I've gotten better at seeing the rukh if that makes any sense."

"I guess it does." He looks towards the palace. "Should we head back then?"

"Probably. I'm sure he wants to see you and Alibaba," I nod, walking towards the palace. Aladdin and I were at a training field that's pretty far from the palace. We decided to sneak off since Ja'far wouldn't leave me along. Soon we make it back to the palace.

"So, where is he?" Aladdin looks at me. I shrug weakly before looking around.

"His office," I mumble, heading that way. I'm not looking forward to seeing my father. I don't want to admit it, but he's a smart guy. I'm sure he is wondering how I could warn others and fight during the battle with Judal. I knock on his door when we get there.

"Come in," Father calls. I enter with Aladdin, noticing that Alibaba and Ja'far are already here. "Perfect timing Amir. I was just about to send for you," He smiles at me. I watch him wearily. "Come have a seat you two." Aladdin walks towards me, taking my hand in his to lead me to a chair. I nod in thanks as I sit down.

"I'm sure you're wanting to ask them something, aren't you Father?" I tilt my head and cross my arms as I gaze towards him.

"Ah. Yes," He nods, turning to Alibaba and Aladdin. "You are the guests of my country. Of course, as the King of Sindria, I do hope that you can share your powers with us. You're not the only guests here. I hope you can lend me your strength, just like the others!"

"Lend you our strength?" Alibaba asks.

"To fight against a certain opponent."

"A certain opponent?" Alibaba frowns a little in confusion.

"Yes. Even before Sindria was established, we're had a deep connection with a certain organization and had fought countless times. Didn't I mention about the abnormalities of the world before? War, poverty, discrimination, these are spreading at an increasing rate around the world. And it is not happening by chance but was planned by the organization. They try to slip into the centers of countries in various manners, sometimes as political advisers, or court ladies, and manipulate history from the shadows… Al Sarmen. They never use the same name, but that's what we refer to their organization as."

"Al Sarmen," I faintly hear Aladdin mumble.

"Since you're now involved, I'll say it straight. Previously, at Balbadd, you have caught their attention."

"That means…" Alibaba trails off, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"That's right. That man, who had claimed to be a Banker, pushed Balbadd's economy into a plight. In addition, the ones hiding behind the back of the Kou Empire, such as Judal and that black djinn, are unmistakably Al Sarmen. Or they might have even, in a way I hadn't noticed, forced Balbadd into a state of civil strife. They're now doing the same things to the entire world." I frown at my father. Why hadn't he told me any of this before? I glance at Alibaba when I notice his rukh change a little.

"Alibaba," Aladdin says in worry.

"I'm fine," Alibaba says, looking down. "Please continue." My father nods slightly.

"I can't forgive them either. That's why, to fight against such a powerful opponent, I need more power," I begin to glare at my father. How could he ask this of them?

"You told us to lend you our strength. What can we do?" Alibaba asks.

"I won't say any more than this. Well, it just means that you'll get completely involved in fighting against the organization. Also, you're still too weak. If you fought against the organization now, it would only result in defeat. You'll have to get stronger first." Both Alibaba and Aladdin look down a little at that, causing me to glare even harder at my father. Over the past few months Aladdin and I have grown closer and I've become even more protective of him. "Alibaba's djinn equipment, and Aladdin's magic are still far from being mastered," He finishes bluntly.

"You're right. I felt deeply that my powers weren't enough that time. I want to learn more about magic, but I don't know what I can do," Aladdin says.

"Magic, huh. Then it'll be best if someone who uses magic can teach you. It just so happens that one of my country's guests is a magician," Father smiles at him. My eyes widen a little at this. Aladdin looks over to me, tilting his head.

"It's not me Aladdin," I say softly to him. He hasn't had any contact with Yam since that night he stayed with me. I've been doing everything I can to keep them apart so she won't embarrass us. "It's my teacher," He nods slowly, frowning a little. My father stands, walking towards the door.

"Come along, let's go to the courtyard." We all silently follow him there. "Hey, Yamuraiha!" He calls to her.

"Yes, King!" Yam stands up, coming towards us. Father turns back to Aladdin, smiling.

"Magi aren't the only ones who can use magic as I'm sure you know by now since Amir is a magician as well. Yamuraiha is an outstanding sorceress of water. She's the one who taught Amir magic so I'm sure she can help you as well." I watch with a blank expression as Yam stops in front of us. She removes her hat as she greets Alibaba and Aladdin. Her rukh seems flustered for some reason.

"I'm Yamuraiha, previously introduced by the King. Although I don't know if someone like me can be of help to the great Magi, please ask me any questions if you have doubts," She smiles sweetly at Aladdin. I have to cough to hide my laugh. If seems she has forgotten that she's already shown her mean side to Aladdin.

"She looks like a beautiful and gentle person, don't you agree, Aladdin?" Alibaba grins, looking back to Aladdin. "Hmm?" He questions when he isn't there. I narrow my eyes as Aladdin stumbles up to Yam.

"Miss!" He suddenly shouts, jumping straight into her chest.

"Kyaa!" Yamuraiha screams, turning bright red. All I can do is stare with wide eyes. W-What is he doing? My shock expression quickly turns into a glare, but I don't try to stop him. "Stop it," Yam says softly before her staff begins to glow. "Stop it, you damn brat!" She screams, blowing back Aladdin with her magic. He rolls on the ground towards Alibaba. I just glare at him. He deserved it.

"It's hot!?" Alibaba yells out in shock when he tries to help Aladdin. "A-Are you alright, Aladdin?"

"You're exaggerating. I've merely released the steam from water!" Yam glares down on them. Aladdin sits up, looking at his hands.

"It's water!?" Alibaba shouts in surprise. The water slowly begins to float around Yam as she stands above them. "The water has gathered together! Is this magic too!?"

"Let me tell you. Try doing that again and I'll evaporate you from within your bodies." I smirk slightly as the two of them just stare at her in shock. I look towards Aladdin, feeling a little disappointed. Why would he do that? I shake my head, looking down.

"Miss looks gentle, but isn't at all," Aladdin says, cowering away with Alibaba.

"That's unnecessary," Yam sighs, putting her hat back on. "Seriously? I was nervous when I heard that you were the legendary, great magic. I'm at a loss as to why I even cared."

"Yam," I walk forward. "You've met him before. I don't know why you're getting so worked up," She frowns, looking at Aladdin before gasping.

"That's that boy from-!" I quickly cut her off.

"Don't start again," I sigh deeply.

"Is meeting a Magi something to be nervous about?" Aladdin hesitantly speaks up.

"Well, they're on a high level compared to us sorcerers," Yam answers.

"What is a sorcerer?" Aladdin stands up, walking to us. "I want to know, Miss. Please tell me," He smiles at her.

"Fine," She answers after a moment. "Then you better listen properly, okay?" Yam leads him towards her table which is probably covered in books. I watch them silently as Yam explains what a sorcerer is. I smile faintly at this. Even though he doesn't seem to share the same feelings I have. It makes me happy to see them getting along.

I walk away silently as Aladdin leaves with Yamuraiha and Alibaba. I can't help but to frown a little at this. Everyone seems to forget me when they have something better to do. I shake my head a little to rid myself of these thoughts. Aladdin isn't forgetting about me, he's just training. I turn my eyes towards the floor as I walk back to my room.

"Amir," I hear my father speak from behind me. I sigh deeply and turn to look at him.

"Yes?" I ask blankly.

"We need to talk," He says, completely serious for once. I stiffen before nodding tightly. I follow him to his office in silence. I watch as he walks behind his desk and sits, staring at me calmly.

"What is it?" I stand in front of the desk, crossing my arms.

"In Balbadd, what did you do?" He speaks softly.

"I don't quite understand the question," I clench my fists. So I was right., he did notice.

"Amir," He says firmly. I flinch a little, but don't back down. "How did you know where Judal was? How did you know to give those warning shouts?" I stare at him coldly. I don't want to tell him. He already thinks I'm weak. I don't want him to think I'm a freak too. I look down, no longer able to look at his rukh. "Tell me, Amir!" He stands up as he shouts. I flinch backwards and trip over the chair behind me. I crash into the floor, staring up at my father with wide eyes. He doesn't move to help me.

"I-I…" I trail off, scrambling to my feet.

"Are you even blind!?" He glares at me. I quickly look up at him, glaring right back.

"I wouldn't lie about that!" I yell in anger.

"Then how did you know!?" He moves around his desk to stand in front of me, towering over me.

"Why do you even want to know?" I basically growl at him. He seemed taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovers.

"I'm your father," He answers simply. I laugh coldly at him.

"You haven't been my father since the accident!" I shake my head at him, still chuckling a little.

"I never stopped being your father, Amir," He sighs at me. "Now just tell me what's going on." I glare at him before deciding to just tell him. I'm tired of acting like I can't see people and I have Aladdin now. I don't have to worry about what everyone thinks anymore because he accepted me.

"Fine," I cross my arms again and sit down in the chair I had tripped over. He nods, moving to sit back down as well. I stare at him for a long minute and take a deep breath to calm myself. "I'm not completely blind. I never have been."

"You can do a better job of explaining than that."

"I can see the rukh in all living things. I can even see magic since it's made from the rukh," I say calmly, watching him closely. I've hidden this for years. Now what will he do?

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asks softly.

"Well because you started to ignore me. I guess," I look away, frowning deeply. "When I first woke up I couldn't really see the rukh, so of course I didn't mention it right away. I began to see it when I started to walk around again, but by then you had already started to ignore me. I just… I thought something was wrong with me." I blink hard to hold off my tears. "I was scared to tell you at first but as time passed you started to change. I realized that if I told you, then you would just end up using me as some kind of tool." He stays silent the whole time, calmly listening to me.

"Amir," He looks down. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I know now that I shouldn't have done what I did, but you have to understand the accident was hard on me as well." I glare at him coldly, tears building up quickly. So he isn't even going to deny it.

"Hard on you!?" I stand up. "You were supposed to be there for me! You're my Father, but you left me when I needed you the most!" I wipe at my eyes in anger. "I-I know that it was hard on you but you left me all alone." I collapse back into my chair. He stares at me in shock.

"Amir, there isn't anything I can say to make it right." He stands up and walk to kneel in front of me. "But I am sorry."

"Why did you say that all those years ago?" I whimper softly, not daring to look at him. He frowns in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"You told the generals that if you had to have a son then you wanted a strong one. You practically said that you didn't want me anymore because I'm blind!"

"A-Amir, I was just upset. I-" I cut him off.

"I don't care! I tried so hard to become strong so you wouldn't ignore me, but you never even gave me a chance to show you!"

"All the training you suddenly took up." His eyes widen in realization. I nod to confirm his thoughts.

"I did it all for you because I wanted you back." He suddenly pulls me forward and into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Amir," He says softly. "I put myself before you. That's something I never wanted to do, but it happened. There isn't anything I can do to make up for that." I don't hug him back. I just can't bring myself to even though I know I should.

"You're right," I mumble into his shoulder. "There isn't anything you can do. You left me alone for five years. I-I felt so lost. For the first time in my life you weren't around. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for Yam." He stiffens a little at Yam's name, but I don't question it. He pulls away from me slowly but leaves his hands on my shoulders.

"I promise I'm going to try harder from now on." I shake my head at him.

"Father, I know you want to make it up to me," I look at his rukh. "The rukh doesn't lie but I don't want you to make that promise." I gently remove his hands from my shoulders, smiling weakly. "Things won't ever be like they once were."

"Amir, why won't you let me try?" He frowns deeply.

"Because now that I've told you everything... I don't know," I sigh softly. "I feel like I can just forgive and forget. I don't feel so weighted down anymore." He stares at me in surprise before smiling softly.

"I see," He stands up. "I understand." He goes to sit back down. "That's all I really wanted to ask you about, so you're free to leave."

"Alright," I stand up to leave but pause at the door. I look back to him, smiling faintly. "Thanks, Dad." With that I leave the room and head back to my own bedroom. I continue to smile to myself. I really do feel relieved. For the first time in five years I don't have to hide anymore. I feel free.

 _ **Chapter 12**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I smile to myself as I watch Aladdin train with Yam. I'm glad Yam didn't hold a grudge against him from when they first met. My smile dims a little at the thought. It's pretty obvious that Aladdin is into women and not men. In fact, it's painfully obvious. I sigh softly, my smile completely gone as I stare at them. I haven't told anyone else that I can see the rukh yet. I'm not sure how I should go about doing it.

"Oh, you're working hard," I hear from behind me. I jump slightly and turn to see my father and Morgiana.

"Sinbad! And Morgiana!" Alibaba turns to them.

"Alibaba. It's training time for that metal vessels of yours," Father smiles at him. Alibaba is quick to follow him. I sigh deeply before I walk over to Yam.

"Oh Amir," She smiles at me. I weakly smile back, causing her to frown. "Is something bothering you?" She asks softly. I quickly glance at Aladdin, making sure he can't hear us.

"Yeah, kind of," I look down, frowning. She lays her hand on my shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, not really," I look up quickly when I hear the guards yelling.

"It's a rampaging Moray!" They scream, running to find my father. "A ramping Moray has appeared!" I stiffen in fear as the people begin to cheer.

"W-What's going on!?" Aladdin shouts, running to us.

"It's time for the hunt!" Yam grins. I silently grab his hand and begin to lead him to the monster. I assume Yam is going to find my father.

"Amir?" He frowns slightly in confusion.

"Sorry" I mumble, looking at him as I stop walking. "A Moray is a sea monster that attacks the island. I-It's the same monster that killed Naji." I quickly begin to pull him towards it again. I can tell that he is shocked and worried, but he doesn't question me.

"Wha!? That monster is," I hear Morgiana yell as we grow closer.

"We have to do something or the residents of the island will-!" Alibaba cuts himself off as the people begin to crowd around, cheering in delight. "This is dangerous! Everyone run!" He screams at them.

"Why is everyone so happy!?" Morgiana shouts in confusion.

"Alibaba, Mor!" Aladdin quickly runs up to them. I quickly move to catch up with him.

"Calm down," I tell them firmly. They look at me in confusion. "This is just another hunt."

"A hunt?" Alibaba frowns in confusion.

"Here they come!" The people begin to cheer louder.

"I have to go," I sigh softly. I grab my staff off my back and use it to float up to the cliff everyone is staring at.

"Our King, Prince, and the Eight Generals!" The people shout. I land beside my father, in the middle of the generals.

"Decide today's hunt with your sword, Sharrkan!" My father shouts above the crowd.

"Leave it to me, your Majesty!" Sharrkan pulls his sword out and jumps off the cliff. "Over here, you big monster!" I watch stiffly as attacks the beast. "Household vessel, Foraz Saika!" He shouts, chopping the monsters head off.

"Amazing, in one move, the neck is-!" Alibaba shouts in awe. I look towards him to see that all three of them are here. I tilt my head a little, wondering how they made it up here so fast.

"No, there's more," My father speaks, crossing his arms. We watch as Sharrkan continues to attack the monster.

"It's plated!?" Alibaba shouts in shock when Sharrkan finishes. I chuckle softly at him. I guess this is a bit strange for newcomers.

"Everyone, share it harmoniously!" Sharrkan grins at the people.

"How.. how skillful!" Alibaba says.

"He's only trying to gain attention, that guy!" Yam glares down at him. I can't help but to smirk a this. Sharrkan soon makes his way back to us.

"This is how it is, Alibaba. This person will be your swordplay master. His name is Sharrkan," My father introduces him.

"Nice to meet you!" Sharrkan grins, leaning in close to Alibaba. "I've heard that the reason you're looking for a teacher is that you wanted to improve your fencing no matter what?"

"Yes!" Alibaba grins widely.

"I see. So you like swordplay that much. Understanding the value in swords, you have promise." Sharrkan nods to himself then throws his arm over Alibaba's shoulder. "Erm, what was your name again?"

"I'm Alibaba!" Alibaba says cheerfully.

"Alibaba, is it!? For men, it has to be swordplay, right-" He's cut off by Yam.

"Alibaba, if you talk too much with that guy, you'll be infected with fencing idiocy," She says, completely serious. I smirk to myself. Yam and Sharrkan don't get along most of the time. They're always fighting over swordplay and magic, but I know that they secretly like each other.

"What do you mean?" Sharrkan turns to face her, releasing Alibaba in the process. "This is why magic users are annoying. You're so arrogant even though you're weak. For someone who only knows magic, you'll never understand the beauty of the heights overcome while depending only on swords and your skills. Swords are the best!" He glares coldly at her.

"Magic is the best! But for a person like you, who is infatuated with himself, swinging around a metal plate, you'll never understand. Even the power of your household's vessel is all because of magic!" She meets his glare, never backing down.

"Hmph, I can defeat you even if I'm only using swordplay," Sharrkan smirks at her.

"What did you say!? Try it if you dare!" They both get into a battle stance. We all continue to watch silently as they lunge towards one another. I laugh softly with my father as they begin to pull at each other's faces and yell childish names at each other.

"It's great that you have teachers who love fencing and magic!" Father turns his back to the fight, smiling brightly. "Aladdin and Alibaba, you should also be determined not to depend on each other and to get stronger!" Sharrkan and Yam stomp over to us, grabbing their new students.

"I see," Sharrkan mumbles.

"I can't wish for more," Yam glares at him.

"Then let's compete, by seeing whose disciple is stronger!" They both shout at the same time.

"What!?" Aladdin panics. I grin as I watch them bicker again.

"I'm glad that I have Masrur with me," Morgiana suddenly speaks up. I look at her and Masrur, laughing softly to myself. She did get lucky.

"But start their training tomorrow," Father speaks up. They both stop fighting and look at him in confusion.

"Huh?" They question.

"Tonight, we celebrate Mahrajan!" Father grins widely.

 _ **Chapter 13**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I glower at my father. I can't believe he is doing this in front of me. He's supposed to be a King and a Father yet here he is with women crawling all over him as he drinks away the night. He does this every time Mahrajan comes around. My glare turns to Ja'far, Sharrkan, and Masrur as I hear them fussing about their juniors. Honestly, this whole thing is a pain. I slump a little in my seat, sighing deeply. What makes it even worse is that Aladdin is off having fun. He said I could come with them, but I know I would have ruined the fun.

"Wow," I hear the three men say. I notice that they're staring at my father. The women are sitting all around and on top him, begging to be next for god knows what.

"Whaa! I want to do that too!" I hear Aladdin yell from behind me. I turn a little to see him, noticing that Alibaba and Morgiana are also with him.

"Will you all just knock it off!?" I finally snap. Aladdin showing interest in women… it's just too much for me to handle right now. This festival is hard enough for me to deal with as it is. Everyone is quick to stop talking. Instead they all stare at me in surprise. I simply sit in my chair, arms crossed with a deep frown on my face. My father clears his throat to break the silence.

"Ah, the three of you are back. I was waiting for you," Father smiles at them. To my relief he begins to shoo away all of his women. "I have some people I want you to meet. Eight generals assemble!" With that simply order, the Eight Generals quickly come to their King. "I will introduce to you the guardian deities of Sindria, the Eight Generals, because we did not have the chance to introduce everyone to you before." I watch as father points to Ja'far. "This guy is, you know…" He trails off. I notice that his words are beginning to slur together.

"I was already introduced in Balbadd," Ja'far sighs a little.

"He's drunk," I simply state. My father either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me.

"He's Ja'far. Normally he is a parliamentary official. Even if he looks like this, he is strong because he is an expert in a unique assassination technique. So, he will be fit to be the next opponent in your training…" He trails off again, taking a very large drink from his cup. "Um Amir!" He abruptly shouts, causing me to jump in surprise.

"What?" I frown in confusion.

"You can introduce everyone else," He grins at me. My eye twitches as I glare at him. Once again, he is pushing his work off onto someone else.

"Fine," I mutter and stand up. I freeze before I can even introduce anyone as I realize something. Maybe now is the time. Maybe I should reveal that I can see the rukh now. I nod to myself before I shakily point towards Masrur. "This man is Masrur. He wields a sword, but he is not suitable to become Alibaba's master. When he was little he was a gladiator but he has not practiced swordsmanship and since he stopped doing that, he is quite rusty." I take notice that no one is picking up on that fact I pointed at someone who has yet to even speak. Maybe they're all too drunk to realize it.

"Sorry about that," Masrur says, void of any emotion.

"What is a gladiator?" Morgiana speaks up. I turn to face her. I wonder if she will realize it? She is rather smart and she doesn't act like she has been drinking.

"It is a hand-to-hand contest really popular in the Laem Empire. I think," Alibaba says.

"You're right," I nod slightly, watching as a large man walks up behind Aladdin and his friends.

"Did you call me, King Sinbad?" The large man asks. The three look up slowly, panicking slightly at the sight of the large man leaning over them. I smirk a little at that.

"One of the Imuchakk warriors of the extreme North's unexplored region, Hinahoho. He has a gigantic physique, but every one of his race is like that, so don't mind him too much." I smile a little as Hinahoho's children crowd around him. "Next is Dracon," I point towards the man. "He is a former soldier of the Partevia Empire. He also has the appearance of a dragon, but he was originally a human and a sincere man. There is no need to be frightened of him," I quickly move on to the next person. "You have already met Yamuraiha from Magnoshutatt and Sharrkan from Heliohapt," I practically skip them. They don't seem to mind very much as they are already bickering with one another. "Then we have Pisti from Artemyra and Spartos from Sasan. They are members of the royal family of our allied countries that we had to give refuge to, for one reason or another, or people that cannot remain in their country for personal reasons and now live here." I turn to face Alibaba once again. "Alibaba, you could say these people are just like you." With that I sit back down, happy that I'm done introducing people. I notice Aladdin is smiling at me. He probably realized that I'm trying to show people that I can see. Soon everyone is off having their own conversations.

"King Sinbad," Dracon steps forward. "It is good to play with women, but will you never change your mind and marry a woman?" I stiffen a little at the question, but my father doesn't bat an eye. I can't help but to agree with Dracon, but it also makes me wonder why my father doesn't have a wife. My father has never spoken of my mother to me and the generals don't know anything either.

"Yea, he is right Sinbad," Hinahoho agrees. "It is good to have brats around, you should have a lot of them too!" Hinahoho grins fondly at his children.

"What are you saying?" My father chuckles softly. "I already have Amir and all the citizens of Sindria as my family," He raises his glass to the people below, causing them to cheer for their King. I tilt my head a little as I stare at my father. I hope that someday, he will tell me why he doesn't have a wife and why I don't have a Mother.

 _ **Chapter 14**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

 _~~The Next Morning~~_

"Alibaba!" I hear my father call from behind us. We all stop to look at him. "I have something to tell you. It's about the Kou Empire. During the negotiations, I took a request from the Empire. That is, to make one of their prince's study abroad in Sindria. That prince will be here soon. It is an arrangement for the friendship of both countries. He is the prince of the country that occupied Balbadd, so it could be difficult for you. But for now, I want you to carefully supervise him." We all silently stare at him in shock.

"Yes," Alibaba finally nods in agreement. My father simply nods back before leaving.

"A Prince from the Kou Empire," Aladdin says softly.

"I wonder what kind of person he is," Morgiana speaks softly.

"I suppose we will find out soon," I say, frowning a little. "Come on, let's go. There's no point in worrying about it." I begin to walk towards the training grounds again. The three silently follow me to the private training ground.

"So, Amir, have you ever met anyone from the Kou Empire?" Alibaba asks as we all sit in the grass. I shake my head before looking towards him.

"No. I've only ever been to Balbadd," I sigh softly, laying back into the grass.

"Oh," He mumbles. Silence quickly takes over us again, leaving us all to our thoughts. I can't help but to think back to last night. No one seemed to notice that I could see. To be honest, I'm actually relieved. I was scared of what everyone would say to me if they knew I've been hiding this from them for so long. But even though no one has said anything, I can't help but to worry about it. What if someone did figure it out, but just didn't speak up? Hinahoho, Ja'far, Masrur, anyone could have noticed. I groan softly, covering my face with my hands. I think I rushed into this. I'm not ready.

"Amir?" Aladdin questions, scooting closer to me. I slowly uncover my face to look at him. I can barely make out the worry on his face. I frown a little again at this. I know I've gotten better at seeing the rukh but lately I've been able to make out things I never thought I would be able to see. Before all I could see were the outlines of people and other living things. After I met Aladdin, my ability has grown stronger. Now I can see farther than I ever have before. I can see if people are lying, if they're feeling a strong emotion, and now I can faintly make out people's expressions. "Amir," Aladdin nearly shouts as he shakes me. I snap out of my thoughts, staring at him wide eyed.

"U-Uh… yeah?" I stutter lightly when I notice how close our faces are.

"You really spaced out there. Are you okay?" He worries. I notice Alibaba and Morgiana moved closer to check on me. I continue to just stare at them all in confusion before looking down to my lap.

"I'm fine," I shrug a little. "I've just had a few things on my mind lately."

"Like what?" Morgiana surprises me by speaking up.

"Um… nothing important," I look up to smile at them in reassurance. I'm not ready to tell anyone else yet.

"Okay… if you say so," Alibaba frowns lightly at me.

"Hey, why don't we train a little bit?" I stand up, dragging Aladdin up with me. "We can have a duel," I grin, actually feeling a little excited. Everyone quickly agrees, eager for something to do.

"But what about you Amir?" Alibaba asks.

"What do you mean?" I tilt my head a little in confusion.

"I just mean…" He trails off, looking away nervously. I glare at him.

"I'm perfectly capable of fighting," I tell him firmly.

"You're blind though," He mumbles.

"That doesn't matter," My glare grows colder. "If I can fight Judal then I can fight you. In fact, let's have a duel of swords right now."

"W-What?" Alibaba shutters in shock. "No," He begins to shake his head quickly.

"Oh, come on Alibaba," Aladdin laughs lightly at him. "Amir is a good fighter, so he'll be fine. Besides, it's just a duel."

"Fine," Alibaba reluctantly agrees as he pouts. Morgiana and Aladdin head towards the edge of the training ground.

"Ready?" I smirk at Alibaba, drawing my sword. It's been quite a while since I've trained with someone other than Sharrkan.

"Yes." He also draws his blade. I watch in amusement as he quickly attacks me. I simply step to the side, tripping him in the process. He lets out a small groan as he face plants. I chuckle softly at this.

"I may be blind, but that doesn't mean you should underestimate me," I speak calmly, watching him get to his feet. He doesn't respond to me. Instead, he just attacks again. This time I block his blade with my own, locking our swords together. We continue to spar together, with me either throwing his sword away or tripping him. I sigh deeply, looking at him. "I think we're about done here," I say before lunging forward with speed much greater than his own. I knock his blade from his hand and point the trip of my sword at him.

"Go Amir!" I hear Aladdin cheering for me with Morgiana.

"How?" Alibaba questions in shock.

"Years of training," I smirk, withdrawing my blade. I hold my hand out to help him up. By time he gets to his feet Aladdin and Morgiana had joined us.

"I had no idea you could use a sword like that, Amir!" Aladdin grins at me. I can't help but to grin back.

"Yeah," I chuckle softly. "I didn't do too well in Balbadd so I guess it's a bit surprising."

"What do you mean?" Morgiana questions.

"When we were fighting the Fog Troupe. I was useless against them." My grin slips away at the memory.

"But that was your first real fight," Aladdin speaks up. "It's understandable that you froze like that." I simply shrug.

"I guess so. It doesn't matter now. Anyway, I think it's about time we head back," I turn towards the palace.

"You're probably right," Morgiana nods. "The sun is starting to set." With that we all make our way back to the palace. We continue to train together for the next three days, waiting for the prince of the Kou Empire to arrive.

 _~~Three Days Later at the Docks~~_

I silently watch as the Prince walks off the ship and towards my father and me. He seems rather proper. Maybe even a little uptight. I glance towards Aladdin and his friends. Alibaba doesn't seem too happy but other than that, they seem okay.

"I'm the fourth Prince of the Kou Empire, Ren Hakuryuu," He speaks in a clear, even voice. I notice he folded his hands in front of him. This must be some kind of greeting from his country.

"I heard about you from his Majesty the Emperor, I welcome you," My father smiles at him. I continue to stare blankly at him.

"I thought of meeting you even if my father would not have commanded me," He lowers his head slightly.

"That's an honor. I will patiently hear what you have to say to me," Father nods before looking behind the Prince. "By the way, didn't I already meet the person behind you?" He trails off. I also look towards the person behind him.

"Ah!" I hear Ja'far gasp from behind us. "P-Princess Ren Kougyoku."

"Eh, the Princess who had an interest in King Sinbad that you were talking about, right?" Pisti speaks. "She chased him here," She lightly giggles.

"I knew it, that incident happened during his stay in the Kou Empire!?" Ja'far nearly screams as he panics. I can't resist the twitch in my face as I hear that. He wouldn't… would he? The Princess gracefully walks towards us.

"Thanks for what happened the other time. I was really happy to have met you again!" She smiles sweetly at Father.

"It is an honor for me as well!" Father smiles back.

"What? They are just acting normally," Pisti tilts her head a little.

"Thank God. It seems that everything is okay," Ja'far sighs in relief, but I don't relax for a second.

"We didn't see each other for a long time, since Balbadd! By the way, there wasn't even a single occasion to meet you while I was in the Empire," Father continues to smile at her. I notice she stiffened at his words. "I'm really glad to have met you again." She begins to shake a little. I quickly back away from my father's side.

"There wasn't even a single occasion to meet me, you say!?" She suddenly explodes. Quicker than I could blink, she took a sword from the guards and swings at my father. The blade barely misses him as he stares at her in shock. "Damn you Sinbad! I thought that you would apologize and for your country's sake you would choke back your tears and yet I cannot forgive you after all!" She quickly gets rid of that sword, summoning her own instead. "Fight to the death with me, Sinbad! You deserve death for the brutal act of defiling the body of a young maiden!" She screams. My eyes go wide, my mouth dropping open a little.

"D-Defiling!?" The generals begin to shout in shock.

"What did you do!?" Ja'far screams, completely freaking out now. I glare daggers at my father as I stomp up to him. I reach up and grab the collar of his shirt to pull him to my level.

"What did you do?" I ask in a completely calm voice. I can practically feel the blood drain from his face as I do.

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" He defends himself. I slowly release him and turn to the Princess.

"What's the meaning of this, Princess?" I look straight at her. Her sword disappears as she suddenly starts to cry. I silently watch her as she does. She is very emotional compared to the prince.

"Sorry to intrude," A man steps in front of her. "It is too harsh for her to tell the whole story again. Let me continue." I simply nod, waiting for him to continue. "This is a testimony from the Princess herself and there are also other witnesses. I beg of you to take this as the truth." My eyes narrow at his choice of words. "According to her this is what happened. The last night of King Sinbad's stay in the Kou Empire, we offered him a goodbye banquet and when she awoke the next morning she looked around and saw King Sinbad. He was completely naked as he slept beside her. If you still insist that nothing happened after this then give us an explanation, please."

"During my stay in the Empire, I never met with the Princess once!" Father glares at the man before us. "The last night, during the farewell banquet with the Emperor, I drank one or two sips of alcohol just for etiquette!"

"That's right!" Sharrkan shouts. "That night, the King wasn't drunk."

"Yeah," Spartos agrees. "In order to be sure, we checked that he returned to his room alone."

"And I went to sleep like that. I did not do anything to you," Father nods firmly.

"Then why was I in your room the following morning!?" The Princess cries.

"Sorry Princess but I don't have any recollection of that." Father shakes his head.

"Then why were you naked when you woke up!? Are you saying that you naturally remove your clothes while you are sleeping!?"

"Yeah, it happens often!" He says as if it's completely normal.

"Stop fooling around!" She screams, gearing up to attack him again. She stabs her blade in the crates behind my father. "Do you still intend to feign ignorance? Should I tell you my version then!? After the banquet was over, I returned to my room. But, I was attacked in the darkness by someone and I lost consciousness. When I regained consciousness, it was morning and I was in your room. I became confused and jumped out of the room, then went in search of the protection of the Court Lady." I gaze at her blankly. So far no one has lied.

"What are you trying to say?" I speak before anyone else can.

"Let's say that King Sinbad secretly noticed Princess Kougyoku during the banquet. Let's say that, in order to destroy all the evidence, he made the Princess faint, and after that, committed the evil deed!" The man speaks before the Princess could.

"Ahh! You are the worst!" The generals begin to shout at Father.

"You are the worst after all," Ja'far shakes his head in disappointment.

"You should believe in your King." Father glares at them. "Honestly. You listen to him and then say whatever you want. Do you really think I would commit such a mistake because of alcohol during diplomatic negotiations!?"

"Yes," They simply answer. "We respect you from the bottom of our hearts, but we are completely aware of your bad habit of being an alcoholic."

"That is enough," I speak over them all. "Our King is correct. You should believe in him. You should not say such things about your King," I glare at them coldly, making them all look down in shame.

"Have you finished yet?" The man speaks up again. "You laid your hands on the princess's body. In order to take responsibility, I don't think you have any other choice but to marry the Princess!" Everyone gasps in surprise.

"Marry, you say!?" Father struggles to say.

"He will not be marrying anyway," I shake my head, completely dismissing the idea. "Our King did not touch the Princess," I look towards my father and nod slightly. He sighs in relief at this and smiles at me. "Yamuraiha," I turn to my teacher.

"Yes?" She steps forward.

"Use your magic to prove that he is indeed innocent. I have had enough of this," I cross my arms as I sigh tiredly.

"Are you sure about this?" She begins to worry. "I can only show them what really happened, you know?"

"I'm aware," I nod.

"King Sinbad?" She questions him. He just nods, giving her permission. "In that case, come here, your Majesty. The Empire's Princess needs to step forward as well." They both walk towards Yam. "I will show you what really happened. Your rukh will talk to us, and they will tell us the truth through my magic."

"You cannot do that, Princess!" The man begins to shout. "Not with such suspicious magic from another country. To show that without thinking about it…" He trails off, his voice full of worry.

"No. I will do it!" She says firmly. "Because I want to know what really happened!"

"Sharrar Raqesa!" Yam shouts. We watch as their rukh plays out what happened that night.

"Did you see it!?" Father shouts. "I did not do anything!" He glares down at the generals who all bow to him.

"Sorry!" They all apologize repeatedly.

"I was telling the truth! Geez, are you able to understand how dejected I am right now!?" He crosses his arms, huffing slightly. I watch silently, shaking my head at them. "Princess!" He suddenly turns to her. "As you can see, we did not do anything. No offense was caused to your body or your honor."

"I see," She looks down, hiding her hands in her sleeves.

"Princess!" The man who continues to fight for this shout. "Don't let them deceive you!"

"Ka Koubun!" She looks at him in confusion. So, he does have a name.

"That suspicious magic from another country will not prove anything, because she is one of King Sinbad's retainers! Perhaps she orchestrated something in order to protect her King," He suggests.

"I didn't do that," Yam mumbles, glaring at him a little.

"Accept your sins, King Sinbad!" He begins to scream again.

"Please stop, Ka Koubun," The Princess orders softly. "I'm sure that what we saw was right. To be honest, I also thought that something was strange. That morning, neither my clothes nor hair were in disorder." She turns back to Father and me. "But I didn't understand what happened, so I was scared and went into a panic. After that, I felt embarrassed and I could not say anything." She bows to Father. "I'm sorry," She begins to softly cry again. This time her guards rush forward to comfort her.

"Ahh. Princess…don't cry," They beg her. They seem to hesitate before they also bow down and point at Ka Koubun. "Sorry, it's all Ka Koubun's fault!" I knew it. That man seemed off from the beginning of this whole mess.

"Eh!?" The Princess looks at Ka Koubun in disbelief.

"Ehh!? You fools! Don't you want that promotion!?" He shouts at them.

"But the Princess is so sad! We're not your subordinates, but hers…" The guards trail off, frowning deeply.

"Seize the traitors that wanted to frame King Sinbad!" Guards shout, quickly surrounding the three men. I watch as the Prince finally steps forward, stopping the guards as he easily breaks one of their spears.

"P-Prince Hakuryuu," They stutter.

"Enough of this farce," He turns to face Father. "King Sinbad!" He steps forward and lowers himself onto one knee with his head completely bowed. My eyes go wide at this. "This turmoil was caused by misconduct from the people of my country. He said it was a suspicious magic from another country, but in my country, there is a similar magic, even if it is not as strong. That magic is regarded as authentic. Also, your magic shows the truth. Isn't that right, Ka Koubun?" He speaks calmly the whole time.

"Y-Yes," Ka Koubun finally admits.

"I ask for your forgiveness of the rudeness of my fellow travelers as a representative of the Empire. But the important objective of my study abroad here is totally different, therefore I beg you to allow me to stay here," The Prince says, lowering his head a little more. I must say. This is impressive. I think I'm going to like this Prince.

"Yes. You have my permission," Father says. The Prince stands back up, looking at my father and then to me. He narrows his eyes as he gazes at me.

"And you are?"

"I am Amir, Prince of Sindria," I stare straight at him. He nods slowly.

"You appear to me blind, am I correct?" He questions. My eyes also narrow now.

"You are correct," I say stiffly. He continues to stare at me before he walks closer. Soon he is in my face, looking me in the eye. I don't dare back down from him.

"You may be blind but you can still see somehow, can't you?" My eyes go wide in shock and my body freezes. "I'll take your silence as a yes."

I can't find it in me to speak or to even move as the Prince walks past me. All I can do is continue to stare straight ahead of me in silence. I can faintly hear the generals arguing with my father behind me, but I can't tell what they're saying. Why is this happening? I decided I wasn't ready and then some Prince outs me to everyone.

"Amir?" I barely hear Aladdin. He continues to call my name, taking my hand in his, but I still don't move. My eyes begin to burn like I'm going to cry, but I don't. I already look like a fool, crying will only make things worse.

"Amir," I hear my father. I vaguely notice that he is in front of me. "Amir, say something." He sounds worried, but I can't tell for sure. Slowly I back away from him and Aladdin before running away. I have to get away from them. I can't face them.

"Wait Amir!" I hear them all calling for me, but I don't turn back. Soon I've caught up with the Prince. Seeing his rukh only makes me run faster than before. I run without a destination in mind, letting my legs take me wherever they want to go. When I finally stop, I notice that I'm at the beach on the other side of the island. I can't stop the tears this time as I notice what beach it is. This is the place where Naji died. I shakily sit down on the rough sand, wiping at my face to rid myself of the tears. It doesn't work. I don't know how long I sat there, but it couldn't have been long before all the generals, Aladdin, and my father showed up. I quickly pull my knees to my chest to hide my face in them.

"Amir," My father says softly as he walks up to me. He lowers himself onto the ground beside me. "I explained everything to them." I stiffen at his words and hug my legs tightly. I hear the others all quietly walk up to me.

"We aren't mad at you. We were a little upset you waited so long to tell us, but we aren't angry with you," I hear Yam say as she also sits beside me.

"B-But I lied to you all. For so long," I whisper shakily.

"You were scared and we understand that. It's okay," She says just as softly. I flinch when she begins to gently rub my back, trying to comfort me.

"We get why you lied to us, so there's no need to worry about it," Sharrkan says. Slowly I lift my head from my knees to look at everyone. I can barely make out that they are all smiling at me. I wipe my face clean before softly smiling back at them.

"Thank you," I whisper. Yam simply continues to smile before she pulls me into her arms, holding me as close as she can. I quickly hug her back, clinging to her as if she would disappear. Soon I slowly pull away from her comforting embrace "I caused a lot of trouble today. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing over nothing," My father says. I watch as he reaches up and ruffles my hair like he used to. "Now, let's all head back. It's nearly time for dinner and I'm afraid we all need to be there." My smile quickly disappears. The Prince and Princess… I nearly forgot about them.

"Yeah, I'm starving," The generals begin to talk about the upcoming dinner. I silently watch them all walk away, leaving Yam, Aladdin, and my father with me.

"I don't want to see him." I softly mumble.

"Who? The Prince?" Father asks. I just nod silently. "Don't let him bother you. You were wanting to tell everyone about this anyway." After that he stands up, making his way home. I stare at his back as he walks away. He never really was very good at comforting me. It was always Yam who would be able to calm me down and make me feel better again.

"Your father is right in a way," Yam says. "And the Prince didn't know you were keeping it a secret. I think you should just forgive and forget." She too walks away after that, running to catch up to my father.

"Come on," Aladdin grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. "I'll be with you the whole time," He smiles brightly at me. I faintly smile back and let him lead me back to the palace. When we arrive, everyone is already seated and talking among themselves. I don't talk the entire time, simply listening to the conversations around me. The Prince and Princess from the Empire are talking with my father, only two seats away from me. Aladdin is talking with Alibaba and Morgiana. Yam is bickering with Sharrkan, which is nothing new. Masrur isn't talking, but that is also pretty normal. Even Ja'far is happily chatting along with everyone. I feel like the outcast again, but that isn't anything new either. I'll always be this way and not even Aladdin can change that.

 _ **Chapter 15**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I glare at the back of Aladdin's head as he drags me through the halls. He decided that we should go greet the Prince from the Kou Empire with Alibaba. Doesn't he understand that I don't want to see Hakuryuu after he told everyone my secret? I know he didn't know it was a secret, but it still doesn't make it feel any better. I grumble softly as Aladdin knocks on Hakuryuu's door. Soon I hear him making his way to the door and slowly opening it.

"Hello, I'm Aladdin. We came here to talk with you," Aladdin smiles up at him. "Your sister. Her name is Ren Hakuei, right?"

"Why do you know my sister's name?" Hakuryuu questions slowly before his eyes widen in realization. "Could it be you are Aladdin? The Magi!?"

"Do you know about me?" Aladdin tilts his head.

"Yes. I heard about you when my sister, Hakuei, returned home after the western campaign. She was helped in the grasslands by a young Magi," Hakuryuu explains, motioning us to come in and sit down. I quickly notice that he is staring at me rather intensely.

"Ah, I see." Aladdin nods, sitting down in a chair next to Alibaba. I silently stand beside the seat.

"The grasslands, the thing you told me about the Kouga?" Alibaba asks.

"Yeah, that," Aladdin smiles.

"Master Aladdin," Hakuryuu suddenly stands up. "Please accept my thanks. My sister is my sole, valuable sibling. Thank you very much for saving her life." The Prince holds his hands together in front of him and bows down in thanks. Aladdin just looks at him, puzzled by his bow.

"That's right! I was worried about your sister as well, so I wanted to talk with you, but.. you were going somewhere when we got here. Did I bother you?" Aladdin questions worryingly. The Prince stands up straight again, glancing towards me every few seconds. I silently raise an eye brow at him, making him look away quickly.

"It is impossible that you would bother me," Hakuryuu concentrates on Aladdin again. "I have to thank the rukh's guidance that allowed us to meet." He lowers himself to one knee in front of Aladdin. I frown a little at this. "I wished to meet you as much as I have wished to meet King Sinbad. I beg you listen to what I have to say, Master Magi."

"What is it?" Aladdin hesitantly asks.

"Prince," A guard abruptly opens the door. "King Sinbad called for you," His gaze turns to me. "Oh! Prince Amir, we have been looking for you. Your father wishes to see you as well." I nod, sighing softly at this.

"I apologize. I have to go." Hakuryuu stands back up.

"Don't worry. Let's talk another time! Alibaba and Amir, too!" Aladdin grins at him.

"Yeah!" Alibaba is quick to agree. "I'm Alibaba. See you next time!" He waves at Hakuryuu.

"Yes!" Hakuryuu grins back, shocking me a little. "Sir Alibaba, we could not talk that much, but we should be sure to do so on the next occasion."

"Sure!" Alibaba agrees.

"Alright, let's go," I begin to walk towards the door. "Follow me Prince Hakuryuu." I lead him to my father in silence. I can tell he wants to say something from all his fidgeting so I stop and turn to him.

"Why did you stop?" He frowns a little at me.

"Was there something you wanted to say to me?" I tilt my head a little in question. My eyes narrow a little when I notice him become a little flustered.

"O-Oh, um, yes," He quickly nods. I watch as he bows deeply to me. "I am sorry about yesterday. I was not aware that no one knew of your sight," He says formally. I sigh, shaking my head at this.

"You shouldn't bow like that to everyone you meet," I mumble before I continue to walk. I hear him quickly run to catch up with me. When we get to my father's office, I knock on the door before walking in.

"Oh Amir!" Father stands up, grinning at me. "I see you lead Prince Hakuryuu here. Thank you." I just nod, crossing my arms.

"Why did you call for me?" I question him.

"To help give a tour to Hakuryuu here," He continues to grin brightly at me while I begin to glare coldly at him. "Now, let's go, shall we?" Both Hakuryuu and I follow him as he shows the Prince around. I stay silent the whole time, having nothing to say to either of them.

"The section of the royal palace has the facilities for the foreign guests. Use them as much as you want!" Father points to them. "If you want to expand your views of this world, you can go to the Black Scale Tower where the scholars gather. You can also interact with people around your age from different cultures. For martial arts training, you can go to the Golden Scorpion Tower. Someone is always using it because Sindria is always full of guests."

"Incredible," Hakuryuu says in awe. "I must talk about it with you. You were able to create a country like this in a few years! And not just the single country of Sindria. You were also able to create a powerful alliance. It was probably an act you accomplished with your extra ordinary wit and benevolence." I can't help to quietly snort at that. He thinks it was all benevolence and wit huh.

"You like to exaggerate things," Father lightly smiles at him.

"No, your power and that of the Seven Seas Alliance is a reality. At any rate, it was the first time the Emperor has asked me to negotiate direction with the King of another country. It was also the first time someone said something so potent to the Emperor of the Kou Empire." I quickly glare at my father. What did he say that was potent?

"Really? It was probably perceived as arrogance by the Emperor," Father chuckles softly. "I just wanted to stop the weapons aimed at Balbadd. The Seven Seas Alliance is built on the idea of nonaggression. That's why I think I want to continue to stay on friendly relations with the Kou Empire forever."

"A mutual friendship between our two countries, right?" Hakuryuu faintly smirks. "King Sinbad, you are lying. For friendly relations, you only intend it to be on the surface, correct? In truth you don't agree with the Empire. The Empire invades other countries, spreading unnecessary war and destruction. It is an aggressive country that Sindria should be wary of. Am I wrong?" I watch, slightly wide eyed, as the Prince talks. Slowly, my father begins to smile.

"What are you trying to imply with that?" Father questions.

"Don't misunderstand me, please. It's not that I'm being hostile towards you. It's just that I came here to tell you my objective." He glances at me nervously, as if he wants me to leave. I don't move though.

"And what is your objective?" Father calmly asks. The Prince turns to look him in the eye, a sudden air of determination surrounding him.

"To destroy the Kou Empire," He says in an equally calm voice. My eyes go wide in shock. He wants to destroy his own country?

"I see," Father says after a long silence. "Now I finally understand the situation between you and the Empire."

"So, will you help me fight the Kou Empire?" He bows his head a little and folds his hands in front of him. Father silently watches him for a moment.

"And if I refuse?" Father questions, making the Prince look up in a panic. "To easily reveal such an outrageous scheme to the King and Prince of another country. I cannot help but say that you are naive. What will you do if I present what we just discussed to the Empire?" Father crosses his arms as he looks down at the Prince.

"I don't think you will do that, but I'm already prepared for it. I'm prepared to risk my life to obtain your trust. For that, I concluded that I must openly reveal everything to you," Hakuryuu says.

"I see. I understand." My eyes go wide in disbelief. I quickly rush to my father's side to say something but he raises a hand to cut me off. I don't dare to disobey him in front of Hakuryuu. "But you came here to study abroad, right? So first, I want you to observe this country well."

"We don't have the time for that, King Sinbad. I need your reply immediately!" The Prince rushes forward in frustration. Father gives him a cold look that stops him in his tracks.

"If you want to continue this talk, you will have to learn more about the world outside, and the various people living in that world. But before that, there is a certain person I want you to meet!"

"A certain person?" Hakuryuu questions in confusion.

"He will become a role model for you and he is similar to you in many ways. His name is Alibaba Saluja. He is the third Prince of Balbadd, the country your Empire captured."

"W-What?" Hakuryuu stutters.

"Amir here will continue to lead you around Sindria until you learn your way. He can also take you to meet Alibaba," He smiles brightly and starts to walk away.

"Father!" I glare at him. "Are-" He cuts me off.

"Amir, do as I say," He doesn't bother to look at me as he continues to walk away. I continue to glare until he is gone before giving a tired sigh as my shoulders sag in defeat.

"Follow me," I grumble as I walk towards Alibaba's rukh.

"Where are we going?" Hakuryuu questions, walking beside me.

"To meet Alibaba," I glare at him lightly.

"You know where he is?" He tilts his head a little.

"I know where everyone is," I smirk at him and soon we meet up with Alibaba.

I watch Hakuryuu and Alibaba shake hands in boredom. I can't believe that my father is making me hang around this Prince after what happened. He really doesn't understand anything at all.

"Hey," I glance over to see Kougyoku walking towards us. "In Balbadd, many harsh things happened between us, but for the moment, there is a truce, so shouldn't we get along?" She looks at Aladdin as she says this. Aladdin nods slowly.

"She's right," Aladdin mumbles reluctantly.

"Aladdin!?" Morgiana frowns deeply at him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing will change, even if we quarrel and I don't want to be a bother to Mister Sinbad!" Aladdin walks forward to shake hands with the Princess. Both parties smile brightly at one another.

"That's right. Let's leave behind what happened then let's be friends!" Kougyoku agrees with him. I watch in amusement as they tighten their grips on each other's hands.

"Aren't you in pain!?" Aladdin shouts.

"You seem to be the one in pain here!" The Princess screeches back at him. They both quickly break away from the hand shake. "Look at this bruise! There will be traces left because of you!" She cradles her hand, glaring at Aladdin.

"Sorry," Aladdin says halfheartedly. "But are you sure it wasn't just some powder that was removed? Your hand has a lot of make-up, you know that?" I chuckle softly at this. I notice Hakuryuu glance at me in surprise, a small blush making its way to his face.

"What did you say you brat!?" Kougyoku glares coldly at him as they begin to roll around on the ground.

"Aladdin is being cold!?" Morgiana gasps as she watches the two fight.

"So, he still holds a grudge against her for what happened to Ugo!" Alibaba says then turns to Hakuryuu who is still standing beside me. "I'm sorry about that, Hakuryuu, but a lot of things happened between them in Balbadd."

"What about you then, Sir Alibaba Saluja?" Hakuryuu asks him. I faintly hear Alibaba take in a sharp breath, as if he is shocked. "I heard about you. The truth is that you resent me as the Prince of the country that occupied Balbadd. I wouldn't ask you to speak heart-to-heart with a foe, but you don't need to hide this." I look at Hakuryuu and shake my head. This Prince assumes a lot of things.

"Nah, I'm not hiding this in particular," Alibaba looks down for a moment.

"There is no need to overdo it. That is what the Empire did to your country. And they are probably continuing to do so even now. Don't you know who was dispatched in Balbadd as the western campaign governor?" Hakuryuu asks hesitantly. Alibaba just looks at him in confusion. "The first Prince, the Flame Emperor, Ren Kouen. He is the strongest and is an unparalleled general of the Kou Empire. At any rate, he is the owner of three metal vessels. He is the only one, other than King Sinbad, who has conquered more than a single dungeon! He is an ambitious person and intends to make Balbadd the base of his operations to realize his conquest of the west in one breath. Balbadd's civil war was only a stepping stone for him!" Alibaba continues to stare calmly at the Prince before him, taking in everything he has said. "Didn't you lose your beloved, fellow citizens, your blood relatives, and your friends in that civil war!?" Hakuryuu steps forward, a hand on his heart as he speaks. "So, I was prepared for the fact that you would hate a Prince coming from the country that is your enemy!"

"No," Alibaba says softly after a long pause. He looks the Prince in the eye and smiles softly. "I don't hate you. That's what I decided. Don't worry, Hakuryuu! I don't see you as an enemy! It's not like you did anything, after all!" Alibaba grins, patting Hakuryuu's shoulder. Hakuryuu just stares at him in pure shock. "Let's speak frankly. Even if we can't right away, but from now on!" I smile faintly as they continue to talk for a few minutes before Alibaba leaves to look for Aladdin who disappeared with Morgiana.

"So, that went better than expected," I speak up, causing Hakuryuu to look at me.

"Yes, it did," He nods slowly. "Um P-Prince Amir," He shutters a little, looking flustered again. "Do you think that we could continue to talk?" I sigh deeply, crossing my arms.

"My father has ordered me to show you around, so yes, we can continue to talk," I answer him blankly.

"Then let's get to know each other!" He grins. I raise an eye brow at him. Why is he so happy?

"And if I refuse?" His grin quickly drops at that.

"So, you're still upset." He looks down. "I really am sorry. I had no idea that it was a secret and I wish I could take it back but I can't." I watch as he once again lowers himself to one knee in front of me. "Please, forgive me," He pleads. I stare at him before sticking my hand out for him to take. He looks at it in confusion.

"Fine, I forgive you. Now, stop bowing so much," I faintly smile at him. He beams at me, taking my hand and letting me pull him to his feet. For the next few hours I continue to show him around Sindria. The whole time we talk, getting to know one another. I smile as I catch him staring at me again, causing him to look away in embarrassment. I chuckle softly at the Prince. He is rather cute when he gets embarrassed.

"Where are we going now?" Hakuryuu asks from beside me.

"To my favorite training ground. No one is ever there so it's nice and quiet," I answer him softly. Over the past few hours we have been talking about the most random of things, but it's honestly starting to get a little boring. I've never just sat around talking to someone for so long before, not even with Aladdin.

"Is it a special training ground?"

"Not really," I shrug. "It's just a place my father set up for me many years ago." He nods slightly and we continue our way to the training ground in silence. I'm actually a bit surprised that I'm taking Hakuryuu here. I've only ever taken Naji and Aladdin here before.

"Woah, this place is beautiful," Hakuryuu says quietly when we get there.

"Yes," I nod, a small smile on my face. "It really is." I can feel him staring at me again, so I quickly look at him. I tilt my head in confusion as he grows flustered again. Usually I can't tell if someone is blushing, but with him it is rather easy. The rukh around him becomes a pale pink and seem to move around nervously.

"S-So can you see all of this?" Hakuryuu asks nervously. I look at him blankly before sighing softly. It isn't a secret anymore. I shouldn't be afraid to talk about it.

"I can't see it like you can. I can see the rukh inside of any living thing and the shape of those living things. Basically, I can see the outlines," I explain to him. Hakuryuu nods slowly in understanding.

"So how do you see people?"

"It's about the same. Sometimes I can see if a person is lying or what they are feeling," I smirk a little at him as I say this. Hakuryuu's rukh is quick to show me his embarrassment.

"W-What do you mean?" He shutters.

"I mean I can tell if you are feeling a strong emotion. Like right now you are embarrassed," I watch him quickly look away from me as if that would hide his blush.

"Oh," He whispers softly. I quietly make my way to my favorite sitting area, leaving him to calm himself down. Soon he is sitting beside me.

"Would you like to spar or something?" I turn to look at him.

"Spar?" Hakuryuu frowns. "But you can't see weapons, right?" I nod slightly.

"I can't see them, but I can still fight."

"I can't help but doubt that a little," He mumbles. I give him a cold glare.

"I fought alongside everyone in Balbadd and have been training most of my life. Now come on, let's spar." I stand up, walking towards the middle of the training ground. Hakuryuu reluctantly follows me.

"What if I hurt you?" He asks, frowning deeply at me as we get into fighting positions.

"You won't," I smile faintly at him, drawing my sword. I look over his stance and the position his arms are in. "You wield a spear with a short blade," I note aloud. Hakuryuu looks at me in surprise. I simply smirk at him before lunging forward, beginning our spar. I notice a different rukh floating around, making me lose my focus. Hakuryuu kicks my feet out from under me, pointing his spear at me as he pants. I glance around quickly from where I lay, seeing Aladdin hiding behind a corner. I smirk a little at this before using my own legs to knock Hakuryuu to the ground. He lets out a surprised yelp as he falls on his back. I quickly pin him down, panting a little myself.

"U-Um…" Hakuryuu shutters, his rukh turning a bright pink this time. I raise an eye brow at this before my eyes go wide when I realize I'm straddling him.

"Sorry," I mumble and quickly climbing off of him, my face burning. I sit on the ground beside him and he remains laying there.

"It's fine," He whispers, his blush never fading. "I didn't think you would be so strong." I chuckle softly at that.

"I've been training since I was little," I tell him.

"Was it hard to learn since you couldn't… um… see?" He awkwardly asks.

"I wasn't always blind. I learned the hardest of it back when I could see," I say softly. Hakuryuu sits up, frowning at me in confusion.

"Then what happened?" He is quick to asks. I look down, sighing softly to myself.

"I failed to save someone and this is the price I paid," I vaguely explain. Hakuryuu doesn't question me any farther on the matter. Slowly shake my head to rid myself of the memories before looking around for Aladdin again. He hid himself well, but since he has so much rukh it is easy to find him. I wonder why he is watching us?

"Something wrong?" Hakuryuu asks, causing me to look at him again.

"No, nothing is wrong." He begins to grin at me.

"I had fun today, Prince Amir. Thank you for showing me around," He says happily. I look at him weirdly and nod slightly.

"No problem." My face begins to burn again so I quickly stand up. "We should head back to the palace."

"I guess you're right," Hakuryuu sighs sadly. He silently follows me back to the palace. I notice that Aladdin followed us the whole way back.

"Prince Amir, your father would like to see you and Prince Hakuryuu in his office," A guard informs us upon our arrival.

"Of course, he does," I frown in displeasure. "Well, let's go see what he wants then," I mumble, making my way to his office with Hakuryuu following me. When we arrival I notice that Yamuraiha, Masrur, Sharrkan, Morgiana, and Alibaba are here. Aladdin must be late because he was following us and didn't want us to find out.

"Amir, Hakuryuu, come have a seat," My father smiles at us. "We're just waiting on Aladdin now." I silently nod and take a seat next to Hakuryuu.

"How was your day with our Prince, Hakuryuu?" Yamuraiha asks him, giving him an innocent smile.

"It was great," Hakuryuu smiles widely at her. "He showed me around Sindria and then we went to have a little spar."

"Oh?" Sharrkan grins at this. "A spar? Who won?"

"Did he beat you too?" Alibaba is quick to join in on the conversation.

"Amir pinned me in the end," Hakuryuu answers in a shy voice. I watch as his rukh turns a pale pink yet again. Before anyone else could talk someone knocks on the door.

"Come in," Father calls out. Aladdin slowly makes his way into the room and greets everyone. I look to Aladdin, finding that he is already staring straight at me blankly. Father clears his throat to gain everyone's attention. "I've gathered you here to send you on a dungeon conquest!" He announces. Everyone gasps in shock, myself included.

"Dungeon conquest!?" Alibaba questions him.

"You are already powerful and I've been searching for people who can help me conquer a dungeon. I want you to go!"

"Dungeon conquest, huh," Morgiana says to herself, seeming to be a little pumped up about this.

"We haven't explored one since Amon!" Alibaba says to Aladdin who grins back at him, nodding widely.

"Where is the dungeon?" Aladdin looks to my father.

"That dungeon is on a small island further south of Sindria. Recently, a secret palace appeared in the south sea without anyone's notice. The name of this dungeon is Zagan," Father informs us.

"Father," I step forward. "Are you sure about this?" I look him in the eye, watching his rukh. Slowly, he nods.

"Yes. I think this is for the best," He says softly. I continue to stare at him, frowning slightly as I do.

"Alright. I understand," I turn to leave after that.

"Amir," Fathers call stops me, but I don't look back. "I want you to protect them all, alright?" I look down, clenching my fists.

"I won't let another friend die," I say strongly as I begin to shake. "You should know that." I quickly leave the room before he can stop me again and hurry to my room, hoping I don't run into anyone else. Quickly, I slam the door shut behind me and slump against it. All too soon there is a knock on the door.

"Amir?" Aladdin calls out, his voice thick with worry.

"What is it?" I reply blankly.

"We're worried about you. Will you let us in?"

"We're?" I question.

"Hakuryuu is here too," Aladdin nearly grumbles. I frown a little at this. Aladdin is acting really weird when it comes to Hakuryuu.

"Amir, will you let us in?" Hakuryuu asks when I don't respond to Aladdin.

"Fine." I slowly open the door for them then make my way to my bed. Aladdin is quick to hurry to my side. "So, why were you two worrying over me?" I ask, flopping onto my bed.

"You were shaking when you left," Aladdin whispers, grabbing my hand. I flinch a little as he does, but I don't move away.

"I know," I don't bother to deny it.

"Why?" Hakuryuu asks softly, sitting beside me. I close my eyes, ignoring the question. "Did something happen?" He tries again.

"Hakuryuu stop asking questions," Aladdin suddenly snaps at him. I look up at him in shock. "Amir doesn't want to talk about it," He glares at Hakuryuu who decides to stay silent.

"Um Aladdin?" I sit up, tilting my head at him. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Of course," Aladdin smiles brightly at me. I watch as the rukh surrounding him quivers.

"Why are you lying to me?" I frown deeply at him.

"I'm not lying," He defends himself strongly, pulling his hand away from my grip. I look at his hand, slightly hurt by this.

"Aladdin, you know I can see when a person lies," I shake my head at him in confusion. Aladdin begins to glare at me and stands up so he can look down at me.

"Why would I be okay when you suddenly run off with Hakuryuu all day?" Aladdin says in anger. My eyes go wide and all I can do is stare at him in disbelief.

"Woah, Aladdin calm down," Hakuryuu says in a hurry.

"Why should I?" Aladdin's glare turns on him. "Amir was my friend first!" He begins to shout. I stand up quickly at that, glaring at Aladdin.

"My father ordered me to show Hakuryuu around," I tell him in an eerily calm voice. I faintly hear him gulp as he now has to look up at me. "Besides, I can have more than one friend Aladdin. Yes, you were my first friend, but that doesn't mean I can't hang out with other people."

"I-I know." Aladdin looks down to his feet.

"Are you jealous, Aladdin?" Hakuryuu speaks up. I can clearly hear the shock in his voice.

"U-Um," Aladdin stutters, his rukh a bright pink. "I guess so." He starts to fidgets with his hands.

"But why?" Hakuryuu frowns in confusion.

"I don't know," Aladdin mumbles. "I guess because Amir was only that happy around me." He looks up at me. "I just didn't realize that he could be that happy around other people too," Aladdin speaks so softly that I doubt Hakuryuu even heard him. I feel blood rush to my cheeks, but I don't look away from Aladdin. Slowly I lean down, hugging him tightly.

"I'm the happiest around you, Aladdin," I whisper softly. He tightly hugs me back, nodding slightly. I hear a disappointed sigh and then my door opening and closing. I pull back to see that Hakuryuu left.

 _ **Chapter 16**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"It's a creature of the southern sea! A creature of the southern sea has appeared!" My eyes snap open in panic when I hear the shouts. I quickly climb to my feet, looking around wildly. Every time one of these monsters shows up I always feel panicked and scared.

"Leave it to me!" Pisti says from above me. I look up to see her flying on a large bird. I relax slightly, knowing the sea creature won't be able to do anything with her around. Soon she tamed the monster and it left without causing any damage.

"As expected," A sailor speaks. "As long as we travel together with Pisti, we'll be safe."

"Amir?" Hakuryuu asks from behind me. I quickly turn to look at him, still feeling a bit jumpy. "Are you okay? You look pretty shaken up."

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," I nod slowly, taking deep breathes to calm myself down.

"It's not like you to be so scared," He comments, tilting his head a little. I frown at this. He's right, but I can't help but to feel scared.

"I can't control how I feel when I'm around those monsters," I answer him quietly.

"Why?" Hakuryuu hesitates to ask, most likely not wanting to upset me. I chew on my lip a little before looking at him.

"Because those things are the reason I'm blind." His eyes go wide in shock.

"O-Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He trails off.

"It's fine, Hakuryuu. It's not a secret anyway," I shrug it off. I slowly lower myself back onto the deck where I was taking a nap. Hakuryuu silently sits beside me. Together we watch Alibaba and Aladdin ride on a couple of dolphins. I smile faintly as I watch Aladdin have fun. It always calms me when I see how relaxed he can be.

"You love him, don't you?" Hakuryuu quietly asks me. My whole body stiffens at the question.

"What are you talking about?" I ask coldly.

"I've seen the way you look at him. How you act around him. It's pretty obvious actually." I turn to look at him, glaring a little.

"Don't you dare tell anyone," I hiss in a whisper.

"I won't," He answers quickly. "I just wanted to know if it was true." He looks down to his lap. I narrow my eyes as I look over him. He seems so disappointed for some reason.

"Why did you want to know something like that?" I ask in a gentler tone of voice. His rukh is quick to turn a pale pink.

"U-Um personal reasons?" He shutters. I stare at him, slightly confused before I shrug a little.

"Okay." I look back towards Aladdin. Both Alibaba and Aladdin are drying off from their swim.

"I-I'm going to help the crew finish cooking!" He quickly scurries off. I don't say anything as he leaves, but instead look towards Aladdin and Alibaba.

"Ahh, that was a good swim," Alibaba grins.

"It was incredibly fun!" Aladdin nods, trying to dry his long hair with a towel.

"Really that's great!" Pisti smiles brightly at the two.

"Yeah, thanks Pisti…?" Aladdin slightly questions, tilting his head a little.

"Shouldn't you call me Miss like you do with Yamu?" Pisti innocently asks.

"Miss, you say?" Aladdin asks in confusion.

"Yes, I'm a year older than Alibaba!" She points to Alibaba.

"Ehh!?" Aladdin and Alibaba freak out at this little piece of information. I chuckle softly at this. Everyone is always shocked when they learn Pisti's age.

"Ah, excuse me. Did that surprise you?" Pisti smirks, looking up at Alibaba. "Even though I look like this, I'm older than you. Plus, I have much more experience than you!" Before Alibaba can think of a response, Aladdin walks up to Pisti. I watch blankly as he waves his hands in front of her chest, feeling for any signs of a grown woman's breasts.

"Miss!?" Aladdin frowns deeply.

"That's mean, Aladdin!" Pisti cries out, covering her chest with her arms.

"Everyone lunch is ready!" I once again hear Hakuryuu's voice. I don't bother trying to move. I don't want to move closer to Aladdin. Seeing him act that way towards women always makes me feel sad and angry all at once.

"Uwaah!" Aladdin says in awe at all the food that Hakuryuu and the crew carry out.

"Wow, you helped to cook this Hakuryuu!?" Alibaba asks. Hakuryuu nods in an almost shy manner.

"My sister taught me that I should provide for my own necessaries as much as possible." He places the last of the food down and everyone takes a seat.

"Wow… your sister is strict towards her little brother," Pisti says.

"Yes, she is almost like a mother to me," Hakuryuu smiles fondly at the thought of his sister. He suddenly looks away from Pisti and frowns when he spots me. I watch as he picks something up, most likely a plate of food. Nobody seems to notice him leave to join me on the ground.

"Here," He pushes the plate towards me. I just stare blankly at his hand. Another reason I didn't want to join them at the table. I can't see it. "You need to eat, Amir," He lowers himself beside me.

"Eating is embarrassing for me. I wait till I'm alone," My voice is void of any emotion.

"Nobody is looking, and you don't have to worry about being embarrassed around me," He smiles at me. I sigh deeply and take the plate from him, not having it in me to argue with him at the moment. I pick at the food carefully and silently.

"Why do you look so depressed?" Hakuryuu asks after a minute. I glance at him, frowning a little. He already knows how I feel for Aladdin so there shouldn't be a problem with telling him, right?

"Aladdin," I mumble. "I just hate seeing him take interest in women is all." He nods slowly.

"He's hurt you unknowingly quite a bit, hasn't he?"

"Yes," I whisper softly. I hear him take a deep breathe, almost like he's preparing himself to say something.

"Amir I was wondering-" He gets cut off.

"Alibaba!" Aladdin shouts, gaining all of our attention. "We can see the island!" He grins widely, pointing towards the island.

"But I can't see the dungeon," Alibaba pouts a little.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Is the 61st dungeon Zagan just after this reef?" Alibaba asks.

"Ah, that's right! This island is not part of Sindria's territory! There are natives here, so don't do anything rude!" Pisti informs us.

"Natives?" Aladdin wonders.

"I wonder what kind of people they are," Morgiana finally speaks.

"Yeah," Alibaba nods.

"Look! We're arrived!" Aladdin shouts even louder than before. Hakuryuu sighs softly in disappointment before standing up. He offers his hand for me to take.

"We should join them," He smiles faintly at me. I nod slowly in agreement and take his hand in my own as we make our way back to the others. We let go of one another before anyone can see us though.

"Where's the garrison? He told us to go there first," Alibaba wonders as he looks around.

"Hey, you're late, Alibaba. We've been waiting for you," Two men say as they approach us. I frown a little, wondering why their rukh feels so familiar.

"What!?" Everyone but Hakuryuu and I gasp. Alibaba suddenly runs up to the men.

"Brother Sahbmad! Bother Ahbmad!?" Alibaba grins widely at the two. My eyes widen a little in surprise.

"Hehe, you were surprised, right? Long time no see, Alibaba," The taller one, Sahbmad, says. "We were entrusted with guiding you!" He glances at Hakuryuu who is walking towards them with a smile. "A-And, um Sinbad already told us of the situation with the Kou Empire's Prince. Please don't be concerned." Hakuryuu and Sahbmad shake hands as the greet one another.

"Ah, I was really surprised! What's with that appearance!? What are you doing now?" Alibaba rushes between the two after their brief meeting to question his elder brother.

"Sinbad didn't say anything to you, eh," Sahbmad says, slightly embarrassed. "We are working here on this island as members of Sindria's archaeology investigation group thanks to Sinbad's arrangements."

"Archaeology?" Alibaba tilts his head.

"That's right. This island is the island of the Toran Nation."

"Toran?" Morgiana questions.

"This is the island of the Toran Nation!?" Hakuryuu says in shock.

"What's the Toran Nation?" Morgiana asks. I turn to look at her.

"The Toran Nation is an enigmatic race that is scattered throughout the world. Scholars are greatly fascinated by the Toran language that these people are able to use. The Toran language is completely different from the common language used around the world, and it is engraved on slates throughout the world. And above all, it is the mysterious language engraved on the interior of the dungeon that appeared fifteen years ago," I explain to her. She nods slowly, taking in all the information.

"Mister, Mister!" The voices of two small children interrupts our conversation. They run up to Hakuryuu and Aladdin, speaking in the Toran language. They then hold their arms out as if they are trying to give them something. Hakuryuu tilts his head cutely when he doesn't understand what they are saying.

"Wow, are you giving that to us!? Thanks!" Aladdin grins at them. Both of the kids smile brightly and put something on Aladdin's head. Hakuryuu kneels down so they can do the same for him.

"I am thankful for receiving this!" Hakuryuu says happily. I smile softly at the sight.

"Ah! That's not for free! You have to pay!" Sahbmad says when he notices them.

"Eh!?" Aladdin and Hakuryuu shout. I chuckle at this, shaking my head. I can't believe that I like them. Wait what?

"I will not give you money," Hakuryuu says, standing up.

"What should I do!?" Aladdin cries when one of the children latches onto him. I silently watch as Ahbmad walks forward and hands them something, probably some kind of money or stone.

"Ahbmad?" Alibaba wonders, surprised by his brother's kind behavior. Ahbmad says something in Toran to the kids and they run off, smiling happily. Ahbmad then turns to Alibaba with a sour look on his face. "Well… ah, thanks," Alibaba says.

"You don't have to thank me. I just don't want any problems with the islanders. Because otherwise, they wouldn't let us proceed with our research on the Toran culture," Ahbmad explains.

"You're quite zealous about this research on the Torans," Alibaba states.

"That's right. This is the best thing I can do right now. That's what I have decided," Ahbmad says, walking away.

"Ahbmad… he has somewhat changed"

"He has had the chance to contemplate about many things. This time, I want to talk about those things with you, Alibaba and Aladdin," Sahbmad smiles at the two. "Anyway, let's go!" He begins to lead us again.

"Alright." Alibaba nods and we follow him.

"We're here at the village chief's house!" Sahbmad soon announces. "We need his permission to go to the dungeon!" We enter the house to ask for his permission.

"No!" The chief says firmly. I blind in shock. We haven't been in here two minutes and he has already said no?

"What!?" Everyone shouts.

"You cannot go into the dungeon. That's the mouth of the devil! It's dangerous!" The chief shouts.

"It's all right. We're already conquered a dungeon!" Alibaba says.

"The other dungeons are different. The 61st dungeon Zagan devours those who want to conquer it. The people that go near it get dragged inside!" I frown at this information. Can a dungeon really do such a thing?

"The dungeon drags the conqueror inside by itself!? That's impossible!" Alibaba says in disbelief.

"A lot of people from the village were devoured by Zagan and none of them have returned. Therefore, I've created a law decreeing that none may go there!"

"But chieftain, this is a request from King Sinbad," A man beside the chief says.

"Indeed. King Sinbad sent them." The two turn their backs to us, and whisper softly among themselves. "Alright." The chief turns back to us. "I will give you my permission."

"That's great!" The trio of friends say, Hakuryuu and I stay silent.

"But if you must go, let these children guide you with their ships. They are my grandchildren. They are experts when it comes to steering a boat near the reefs. They will obviously only be able to accompany you for a certain distance towards the dungeon," The chief tells us.

"That's more than enough! Thank you for your kindness!" Alibaba rushes forward to shake hands with the chief.

"Don't worry about it. You are King Sinbad's guests." The chief stands, leading us all outside and to the market place. "Look. It is thanks to King Sinbad that this island's market is so prosperous."

"Sinbad?" Alibaba questions.

"It's because Sindria's garrison is over there," The chief points towards it. "The traders from off the island come here to visit us because they can sail and trade peacefully. Also, King Sinbad welcomed us as equals. Since olden times, our people have been persecuted as an ancient clan, and we were driven out of many lands."

"Chieftain!" Someone shouts, causing the chief to look towards them. "The three merchants who just arrived have asked for the baptism."

"I see," The chief hobbles towards them.

"We've come from the Rem Empire to buy the folk craft articles of the Toran people," The smallest of the group, a woman, says cheerfully. "Chief, please bless us with the Toran baptism and your permission!" The three merchants begin to walk through the market, their hands clasped together as the Toran people throw something at them.

"When the merchants enter the market, they are purified that way by the silver sands of this island," Sahbmad explains what is going on to us.

"Wow," Alibaba and Aladdin say in awe. The three merchants pass us, smiling at Aladdin and Alibaba as they walk.

"Well then, your departure for Zagan will be tomorrow morning!" The chief says as he walks back to our group.

~The Following Day~

"After we pass those two islands, we will arrive at the dungeon," The man steering our boat informs us.

"Alibaba, there are gold, sparkling fish in the water! Gold!" Aladdin shouts, pointing to the water.

"Are you serious?" Alibaba leans over the edge of the boat.

"Be mindful of the reefs please," The man steering Alibaba's boat says. I sigh, looking away from the two. Aladdin is riding with Morgiana, I am riding with Hakuryuu and Alibaba is riding alone.

"Um… can you understand the Toran language?" Both Hakuryuu and I turn to look at the source of the voice. I stay silent since she is facing Hakuryuu.

"Ah. You're the girl from yesterday," Hakuryuu says mostly to himself. "But yes, I can a little bit."

"I knew it. Yesterday, you seemed more like the clever type, like the chief of your group. I have a favor to ask you," She says, trailing off towards the end. I narrow my eyes at her.

"I'm not their chief, but what do you want to ask me?"

"Take me along with you to the dungeon, please! I want to help my mother and father!"

"We've arrived!" Someone shouts, halting their conversation. "This is the island where the Zagan dungeon is!" The boat rocks when it comes in contact with land. I wait till Hakuryuu and the girl climb out before doing so myself, only to trip over the edge of the boat.

"Woah!" Hakuryuu says, catching me. My face instantly turns a little red when I come in contact with his chest. He holds me close to him for a moment before releasing his grip on me.

"Sorry," I straighten myself. "I can't see the boat," I mumble.

"It's fine," He says softly, leading me onto the beach. The girl is quick to follow us, practically begging Hakuryuu to bring her with us. Finally, he turns to her, sighing as he does.

"I cannot do that. You would be a hindrance. You cannot come with us into the dungeon," Hakuryuu tells her rather bluntly.

"But I want to save my parents who were devoured by the dungeon. If they're dead, I would like to take revenge!" She declares.

"I understand," Hakuryuu says. I look at him in shock as the girl beams. "I will do that in your place. I will find your parents for sure! If they are dead, I will destroy everything that nests in the dungeon. That will serve as revenge, right? So, hurry back to the village and wait for my return, alright?" The girl looks defeated after this, but Hakuryuu simply turns to leave. I quickly follow him, not wanting the girl to ask me next.

"Have we arrived at Zagan, yet?" Alibaba pants after about ten minutes of hiking.

"I see it! It's right there, right?" Aladdin points towards it. Alibaba nods, then notices Morgiana is staring at something in the sky.

"What's wrong, Morgiana?" He asks her.

"Something was shining just now," My eyes go wide when I see it, but it's too late.

"W-What!?" Aladdin cries out as it wraps around him, dragging him through the air and towards the dungeon.

"Ugh!" Morgiana grunts when it grabs her next.

"What is this!?" Hakuryuu and Alibaba shout. I feel one wrap around me before dragging me off as well. I close my eyes tightly as the wind rushes past me.

"It's the dungeon's sacred gate!" Alibaba shouts. I open my eyes only to be blindly by all the rukh coming from the gate. I can't make anything out at all. It's too bright and overflowing with rukh for me to see.

 _ **Chapter 17**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I groan as I hit the ground roughly. Slowly I manage to sit up, coughing a little. I try to open my eyes but quickly shut them again. It's so bright here.

"Amir?" Hakuryuu speaks from beside me. "Are you okay?" I slowly open my eyes just enough to see his rukh before snapping them closed again.

"Yeah. I'm good. How is everyone else?"

"Everyone is okay, though Alibaba is unconscious." I jump slightly when he places a hand on my arm. "Why aren't you opening your eyes?" He asks.

"I-It's just really bright here," I say softly.

"Bright?" He questions, clearly confused.

"The rukh… this place looks like it's made of rukh. It's too bright," I sigh, lowering my head.

"Oh," Hakuryuu is silent for a moment. "Then I'll just have to guide you." He takes my hand in his, forcing me to my feet. I blush softly at his words.

"I-I," I stutter as I shaking my head.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" I can hear the smile in his voice. Slowly, I nod my head.

"Okay. Just don't let me hold you back," I say softly, holding onto his hand tightly. He doesn't say anything about my tight grip though.

"Ah, you've regained consciousness, Alibaba," Morgiana says not too far away from us. I guess Morgiana and Aladdin were too focused on Alibaba to notice Hakuryuu and I talking.

"Um... yes," Alibaba agrees shyly. "What is this place?"

"We are right below the starting point," Morgiana informs him. "Okay, let's go down," Morgiana speaks. I yelp in surprise when she scoops me into her arms along with everyone else.

"L-Lady Morgiana!" Hakuryuu shutters, trying to get down. "Don't overdo yourself, please. We must be heavy for the arms of a woman, right!? If we have to go down Alibaba or I will carry you!"

"You're not heavy," Morgiana says calmly.

"Hakuryuu, just be quiet and do as she says!" Alibaba tells him.

"Alright, let's go," Morgiana jumps and then we begin to fall. I quickly grab on to the closest thing to me, which happens to be Hakuryuu. He wraps his arms tightly around me and I close my eyes even tighter, burying my face into his shoulder. Everyone screams as we keep falling but soon Morgiana is landing gracefully onto the ground.

"Wow," Everyone says in awe. I quickly let go of Hakuryuu and stand on my own feet again.

"T-This is the Zagan dungeon!?" Alibaba shouts.

"Incredible! It's so beautiful!" Aladdin shouts back to him.

"I had heard frightening rumors about it, but it is so beautiful!" Alibaba continues to shout.

"It's full of mysterious flowers! Ah, look, Alibaba! There are also several doors of different shapes!" Aladdin says, sounding like he is running around in excitement. "Where should we begin!?" I stiffen when I hear something drop to the ground near us.

"Huh?" Alibaba wonders. I hear him walk towards the thing that fell. "Ah. It's a turtle. So, there are turtles in dungeons too!"

"It's so small and cute!" Aladdin practically squeals.

"You look super delicious," A new voice says. "You look delicious. You look so delicious." Everyone is completely silent after that.

"Did that turtle just speak?" I finally ask.

"I-It did," Aladdin answers me.

"Uwaa!" I quickly turn to the noise, stumbling over something as I do.

"Wha? What's with this thing!? Don't eat me!" Hakuryuu shouts in a panic. Did a turtle just bite him?

"Calm down, Hakuryuu!" Aladdin says, walking towards him and the turtle. "Looks like they are really just normal tortoises! Although it talks."

"You are delicious," One of the turtles speak. I sigh deeply at this, shaking my head.

"Ah, that's right. See, Dracon can speak too," Aladdin comments innocently.

"He was a person from the beginning!" Alibaba corrects him. "Well it should be normal for there to be talking creatures in the dungeon."

"Now that you've mentioned it, the ants in the seventh dungeon can speak too," Morgiana says.

"This tortoise too, I wonder if it had just remembered the words of people who were sucked in?" Aladdin wonders to himself.

"Alright! We'll advance calmly!" Alibaba begins to walk away.

"W-Wait!" I call out to stop them.

"Is something wrong, Amir?" Aladdin asks me.

"I-I," I lower my head again, clenching my fists tightly at my sides. "I can't see in here. At least not yet."

"What do you mean?" Everyone but Hakuryuu begins to worry, rushing to my side.

"The amount of rukh here… it's just too bright for me at the moment. Everything here looks like it's made of rukh," I explain to them.

"T-Then what are you going to do?" Aladdin asks.

"I'll just have to get used to it. There is nothing else I can do," I say blankly.

"Do you think you can?" Morgiana asks. I nod slowly.

"Yes. I think it's possible. My ability to see the rukh has been improving over this past year," I say, mostly thinking to myself.

"If it's improving, then won't you just see even more rukh?" Aladdin questions.

"Yes," I agree. "I will be able to see even more rukh, but I will also be able to tell what the rukh belongs to. An example would be that I will be able to see if the rukh in here is a wall or a person. Well, that is what I am hoping for anyway."

"Alright," Hakuryuu steps forward, taking my hand in his. "Until then I will do what we agreed on before. I will guide you through this dungeon," He speaks in a firm tone of voice, leaving no room for me to argue. I nod slowly in agreement, tightening my grip on his hand.

"I'll be counting on you," I smile faintly at him. I continue to follow his lead in silence before Alibaba begins to freak out.

"Ahh! What are these things!?" Alibaba shouts as he and Hakuryuu fight off the dungeon monsters.

"Isn't it better if we don't open any more doors!?" Hakuryuu yells.

"No," Alibaba responds. "If we want to conquer this dungeon, we must figure out the location of the djinn's treasury and head there first. We've got to find the path to advance from within here!"

"It doesn't have any markings like the seventh dungeon," Aladdin says from beside me. Right now, Aladdin is guiding me in Hakuryuu's place.

"That can't be helped," Alibaba says. "Anyway, let's just try opening all the doors."

"Ah! Wait, Hakuryuu!" Aladdin suddenly yells. I jump in surprise, my grip on Aladdin's hand tightening a little. Aladdin shakes my hand off and runs towards Hakuryuu. My eyes snap open in shock and panic, causing me to gasp at the blinding light and squeeze my eyes closed.

"What?" Hakuryuu asks in confusion.

"It looks like it only wants to protect its child," Aladdin informs him.

"Ah, hey, take a look guys!" Alibaba calls for them all. I don't move an inch from my spot. "If you look closer, it's just their homes beyond these doors."

"Could it be that everyone was just angry because we barged into their homes?" Aladdin asks him.

"Everyone, over here," Morgiana calls for us. "I've found a hidden path." I faintly hear everyone walking towards her, leaving me on my own. Panic swells up in my chest. My hands seem to move on their own and I find myself gripping at my chest as tightly as I can. My eyes close tighter and my breathing picks up a little.

"Amir?" I snap my head towards the voice and I nearly open my eyes again. "Don't worry. I wasn't going to leave you behind," Hakuryuu says softly, taking my hand in his. I instantly relax at his words and sigh in relief. "Let's catch up to everyone else." I let him guide me towards the others.

"Spare some honey?" I soon hear a large voice ask.

"Ca-Calm down. Looking closely, there is nothing to fear from this guy," Alibaba stutters.

"What's going on?" I ask Hakuryuu. I silently move closer to him, nearly pressed against his arm.

"I don't really know," He replies. "It's just a large bear asking for honey." I frown lightly in confusion. My frown deepens when I hear someone begin to sing softly.

"I heard something coming from above," Morgiana speaks, sounding as confused as I feel.

"I didn't hear anything," Aladdin says.

"Spare me some honey," The large voice speaks again. "Spare me some honey."

"S-Sorry. We don't have any on us," Aladdin hesitates to speak. It's silent for a long moment before I hear everyone panicking.

"Look out!" Hakuryuu shouts and jumps back, pulling me along with him.

"Give me honey!" The bear screams.

"This guy!?" Alibaba grunts. I soon hear loud stomping.

"Run away, Hakuryuu, Amir!" Alibaba screams. Hakuryuu freezes in front of me, completely still other than his light shaking. "What's wrong, Hakuryuu!?" I quickly open my eyes only to see a large form of rukh speeding towards us. A gasp leaves my mouth and I quickly grab Hakuryuu, pulling him with me as I try to run away.

"Haaa!" I hear Morgiana's voice. I quickly look towards her. I watch with wide, burning, eyes as she catches the bear's paw to stop his attack. She throws him back and counters with her own series of attacks. The bear crashes onto the ground with a loud thud. "Alibaba!" She shouts.

"Amon's sword!" I hear from above us. I look up to see Alibaba falling onto the bear, swinging his sword as he does.

"Honey!" The bear cries out.

"I told you we don't have any!" Aladdin shouts, summoning even more rukh to the area as he attacks. "Har-Har Infigar!" He cries out. I'm forced to close my eyes once again when the burning pain becomes too much.

"Hot, hot!" The bear cries. The loud stomps following his cries tells me that he has run away. I faintly notice Hakuryuu shaking.

"That helped a lot!" Alibaba lightly cheers.

"That white bear really surprised me," Aladdin speaks after the bear is gone. Alibaba and Morgiana agree with him.

"Hey. Hakuryuu you are pale, are you all right?" Alibaba asks him as he walks towards us.

"I'm alright," Hakuryuu mumbles.

"Mor, are you alright too?" Aladdin asks, worry clear in his voice.

"Yes. That monster's claws just grazed me," She replies in her calm and collected voice. I frown at the thought of her being injured because she was protecting Hakuryuu and I.

"Um," Hakuryuu speaks, gaining everyone's attention. "Miss Morgiana, sorry for what happened because of me and also Aladdin, Alibaba. I will not be a hindrance from now on." I let go of Hakuryuu and stand on my own in front of them.

"I also apologize. My father sent me here to protect all of you and I've been completely useless," I bow my head slightly.

"Don't worry about it. It was really nothing at all," Morgiana shrugs off our apologizes.

"You guys are too serious!" Alibaba chuckles softly. His chuckles are cut short when we hear a noise close by.

"What is it? Is it from the first room?" I hear Aladdin ask before he begins to run towards the noise. We all quickly follow him, with me stumbling every few steps. I quickly grow tired of this and open my eyes. I squint a little at the burning but do my best to ignore it as I run with everyone else.

"Eh!? Why is that kid here!?" Alibaba shouts when we catch up. Alibaba and Hakuryuu rush forward to help the child. I quickly notice that this is the girl who wanted to come with us to save her parents. Soon Alibaba and Hakuryuu have calmed the dungeon monsters down without having to fight them.

"I told you to not follow us!" Hakuryuu shouts towards the crying girl. He sighs deeply at her before turning to us. "Sorry about this, it is my fault. I should have stopped her with more strength. To think that she would be dragged into this as well," Hakuryuu apologizes to us all.

"Don't feel that down, okay?" Aladdin smiles at him.

"Sorry," Hakuryuu simply repeats. I notice Alibaba smiling widely at him, though it seems a little forced.

"How should I say it." Alibaba walks towards Hakuryuu and begins to pant his shoulder. "You are quite a pain in the ass for someone so serious, do you know that?" I smirk a little at that, resisting the urge to laugh. Hakuryuu doesn't reply as Alibaba walks towards the girl. "It is alright, we are strong so we will safely conquer this dungeon together with you and you parents!" He kneels down to her level as he speaks, smiling at her.

"Yes," The girl sniffles. "Sorry and thanks."

"I will not let you do that," A voice speaks from behind us. We all quickly whirl around to face the voice. I frown as I look over the newcomer. The rukh is shaped as a person but something seems off about it.

"Who is he?" Alibaba and Aladdin wonder.

"You will make me the favor to not bully my cute little bears, right?" The man asks before snapping his fingers. I watch in shock as the man grows and grows until he takes up most of the room. "Welcome to my stylish dungeon!" He grins widely at us. "I'm the 61st djinn, Zagan."

"T-The djinn suddenly appeared!?" Alibaba shouts. My eyes widen when I see what the djinn is about to do next. I quickly run to the little girl, pushing her out of the way. His large hand wraps around me, nearly crushing me, and he pulls me towards him.

"Amir!" Hakuryuu and Aladdin cry out.

"What's this?" The djinn frowns as he looks at me. "You are a strange one, aren't you?" He turns back to the others.

"P-Protect the girl!" I gasp. "He wants her!" His grip tightens on me, making me wince in pain. They don't have time to react to my warning. Zagan reaches out again, catching the panicked girl in his hand. He brings her up close to his face.

"Wow, she is just a little girl from the village," Zagan says, giving the girl a creepy smile.

"Stop! Let them go!" Hakuryuu screams, readying his spear.

"Eh?" Zagan tilts his head as he looks down at them. I struggle to look up towards Zagan, frowning as I look at the rukh around him. "What should I do after you say something like that to me?" He brings the girl closer to him, licking her face. The girl shutters, trying her best to escape him. "This girl… I wonder if she is the most delicious one?"

"You bastard!" Hakuryuu screams at him. I look towards them, noticing Alibaba staring at his blade in confusion.

"Uwaah!?" Alibaba suddenly shouts when rukh erupts from the blade. I watch wide eyed as another djinn appears. I stare at him for a moment in confusion before the brightness becomes too much and I have to look away. "A-Amon!?" Alibaba shouts.

"Sorry Alibaba, I used a little of your magoi. I have to confirm something with him," Amon speaks.

"Tsk. Amon, of all things. Shut your mouth, you stinking old man," Zagan mutters in anger, a look of pure distaste on his face.

"Zagan, do you still intend to not choose a king?" Amon asks him. I look up at Zagan in shock.

"That's right!" Zagan grins. "I really hate those humans! That's why I will not choose a human and go there in that ugly world on the other side where humans hate each other. It is a lot better to live here together with these stylish labyrinth creatures I created while I kill time by bullying those eyesore humans that wonder aimlessly around my dungeon!"

"That bastard!" Alibaba glares coldly at Zagan.

"Hey!" Hakuryuu shouts to gain Zagan's attention. "Let them go!" Zagan turns to stare at him with an odd look on his face before he smiles widely.

"Okay!" Zagan says before we shoot up into the air. I cry out in surprise, holding onto the hand around me. "You can have the girl back and this strange human, but only if you will come to the treasure room! I will prepare a path for you!"

"Let me go!" I finally scream at the djinn when we stop moving. He smirks at me and drops me. I crash into the ground painfully.

"As you wish," He laughs at my pain. I force myself to my feet, glaring straight at him. I notice he is still holding the girl.

"Let her go!" I yell. He tilts his head at me but doesn't move to drop the girl like he did me.

"You are quite strange, aren't you human?"

"What do you mean?" I hesitate to ask.

"You can see the rukh in a way no other human ever has before," He leans down to me, his face level with me.

"So, what if I can?" I glare coldly at him, taking my staff off of my back. He merely snorts at this.

"You can't hurt me with your pathetic magic." I grip my staff tightly in anger. I know he's right. There isn't another I can do to stop him. He sits back up and begins to tease the little girl.

"Zagan!" I call to get his attention again. He looks at me in boredom.

"Your rukh is different compared to Amon's," I smirk at him. He glares at me, forgetting about the girl. "You aren't really a djinn, are you?" Within moments of saying this, vines lash out against me, entangling me within them.

"Shut up, human!" Zagan hisses at me. I go to open my mouth to retort, but a vine quickly gags me. I glare silently at Zagan. "Now that you are going to be quiet, let's watch your little friends." He lifts me up higher so I can see what he is seeing. The four are fighting with magic wielding dungeon creatures.

"You have a Magi plus Amon with you, you are too strong. I will raise the dungeon level a lot!" Zagan grins.

"That strange voice is coming from above again!?" Morgiana and the others look up, trying to find Zagan. My eyes widen with the realization that they can hear us.

"Isn't that Zagan's voice?" Alibaba questions. I begin to scream through the vines, trying my best to let them hear me.

"Amir!?" Hakuryuu and Aladdin look around widely.

"Shut up, human!" Zagan shouts at me, throwing me towards the wall. I cry out as my back crashes against the stone and drop to the ground with a loud thud. I don't have it in me to move after that. I focus on staying awake instead. I can faintly hear everyone continue to fight the monsters and Zagan try to discourage them. Soon I hear everyone is arguing and I struggle to sit up when I hear Hakuryuu's voice.

"Miss Morgiana, everyone, I have a favor to ask," Hakuryuu tells them.

"What is it?" Alibaba questions.

"I knew that my power would not be enough and even if I'm very sorry because you had to save me several times, I'm also very grateful but even in that case, before that, would you make me conquer this dungeon? Without using your powers."

"What are you talking about, Hakuryuu?" They ask him.

"No matter what happens, don't help me. I want to survive in this dungeon by my power alone, so ignore me even if I'm dying!" Hakuryuu tells them. My eyes widen in shock and my heart nearly stops.

"Hakuryuu," Alibaba starts. "You should not be so reserved! Aren't you thinking too seriously about this? I think that it is a good thing if we help each other! So, don't sweat it and rely on us!"

"He is right!" Aladdin agrees cheerfully.

"Don't sweat it, you say?" Hakuryuu's voice goes cold. "Something like that should be alright!? I'm a Prince, you know. I'm not in a position that I can be satisfied by borrowing someone else's help."

"Hakuryuu, you know, don't say that to us. I know how you feel, but-" Alibaba gets cut off by Hakuryuu.

"I don't need you to pretend like you understand me," Hakuryuu says angrily.

"I'm not pretending! You know in the past I…" Alibaba trails off as he struggles to talk about this.

"That black haired kid is right," Zagan suddenly speaks. "You are helping each other too much and that troubles me. You are too strong if you fight together. I find it difficult to see through your singular strength. That's why, for the next test you will be divided into two groups and fight by yourself!"

"Divided into two groups? The four question in confusion. I struggle to get free while Zagan is talking to them. I yelp when I'm dragged into the air again by Zagan, who is staring at me in annoyance.

"Such a troublesome human," He mutters before turning back to the others who look slightly panicked. "From now on you will be divided into two groups and go separate ways!" Zagan summons two new paths in front of them. "At the end of each path there is a goal. But if both groups don't reach the goal, no one can advance."

"Two groups huh. How should we form them?" Aladdin asks Alibaba.

"What are you talking about?" Zagan laughs. "It is obvious that I will choose the group arrangements as I like!"

"Eh!?" Everyone shouts before they are thrown through the doors by Zagan.

I watch silently from the ground as everyone continues to fight their best against the dungeon monsters. Aladdin and Alibaba are working together perfectly and easily making their way down the path given to them. Hakuryuu and Morgiana on the other hand are having a bit of trouble.

"Guh!" Morgiana yelps, holding her leg. She had tried to attack a golem.

"Haha! It's useless!" Zagan laughs at her. "Those kicks won't work! This is a golem I made. I created him from a really tough mineral, so his body is incredibly strong! Maybe some kind of magic could work on him, but it seems you cannot use magic. I'm looking forward to seeing how you will survive this!" My eyes widen when I see Hakuryuu's spear light up. He moves to attack the golem, stabbing it in the torso. The golem breaks apart with ease.

"It broke!?" Morgiana gasps.

"What kind of move was that?" Zagan frowns.

"Hakuryuu, what was that!?" Morgiana asks.

"I manipulated the power within my body, and I entrusted a little of it in my spear. In the East it is a move known as ki," Hakuryuu explains.

"Ki? The power within one's body? I see. This is a type of magoi manipulation!" Zagan says. "Heh. It seems you are not a normal human, but how long will you be able to keep it up?" Soon Hakuryuu is panting heavily and even bleeding from manipulating his magoi. I watch in worry and anger as he grows weaker and weaker. "Look, you're tired now! Magoi manipulation is a move that eats away at its user's life. If you continue to use it like that you will shorten your lifespan!"

"What did you say!?" Morgiana asks in shock. "Hakuryuu, let's fall back for the moment! Let's think of a strategy! If things continue like this your life will-" Hakuryuu cuts her off.

"I don't care," His voice is cold.

"Eh?" Morgiana questions.

"I prefer that my lifespan is shortened over being helped by other people. I already asked you to leave me alone!" He glares at her before continuing to fight.

"W-What are you saying!?"

"It is necessary to conquer this dungeon to accomplish my mission. I am the only one who should have responsibility for that mission so it has nothing to do with you!" He shouts at her.

"Nothing to do with me!?"

"You are annoying! I told you it doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm a Prince and this is my country's problem alone." Morgiana stills at that and her gaze hardens. She stomps up to Hakuryuu, breaking the ground as she does. He cowers a little at her glare.

"It has to do with me," She mumbles, stepping forward to face the golems once again. "It is true that I probably don't have a lot to do with you but you probably have them too. People that want to help you, people that hold you dear and are waiting for your return! So, in place of those people, this time I will help you!" She gets into a fighting stance.

"Help him!?" Zagan laughs. "That's useless! You can't defeat my golem! No matter how much you struggle my golem is tougher than your legs!" Morgiana runs forward, her arms stretched out in front of her. We all watch in shock as she picks the huge golem up.

"Even if I can't break them with my legs. I wonder what would happen if they collided with things of similar toughness," She cries out as she throws the golem towards another. They fall apart when they collide. I smirk at this. They're going to make it through.

"They were pulverized!" Zagan gasps.

"Come on, let's continue Hakuryuu!" Morgiana says. Hakuryuu doesn't respond to her though. Slowly, he falls to the ground, his consciousness leaving him. Morgiana begins to panic but is quick to calm herself. She picks him up, caring him through the rest of the trial. At the end she meets up with Alibaba and Aladdin. Together the three of them make a bed for Hakuryuu and wait for him to wake.

"Hey!" Zagan calls out to them once Hakuryuu is awake and they are moving again. "It is me, Zagan! You're doing pretty good, huh? To think you could clear the two-path trial.. Well you're really strong, and I've started to admire you. But, there is just one among you that isn't in your league. A really unreliable guy who's dragging you down. Who is he?" Everyone continues to walk, doing their best to ignore him. The whole time Hakuryuu has his head lowered in shame. "Hey, don't pretend you can't hear me! It's you, the one with a scar on his face! Hey you, they've been helping you since the beginning, right? You really are a bother to everyone! I wonder if you are qualified to be their comrade?" Zagan taunts Hakuryuu. "You really can't do anything. You are such a weakling!"

"Hey don't let him get to you, Hakuryuu," Alibaba says. He moves in front of Hakuryuu, forcing him to stop walking. Alibaba gasps when he sees Hakuryuu's face.

"I already know that!" Hakuryuu cries out before he falls to the ground. "Why!? I'm doing the best I can't, but I still can't do anything! Why!?" Hakuryuu cries. I frown deeply in confusion. What is going on here?

"H-Huh? I made him cry? I made the weakling cry?" Zagan begins to laugh. My eyes widen in realization and I begin to struggle against the vines again. Hakuryuu is at his breaking point.

"Shut up you stupid masked pervert!" Hakuryuu screams at Zagan who is shocked into silence.

"C-Calm down Hakuryuu!" Alibaba rushes up to him. Hakuryuu whirls onto him, grabbing his shirt.

"Shut up! What's wrong with you anyway!? Why is someone as irresponsible as you so strong!? You're someone who abandoned his country and started fucking around in Sindria!" Hakuryuu yells at him.

"Wait Hakuryuu! That's too much." Morgiana steps forward.

"Shut up super-woman!" He yells at her. Morgiana backs off, shocked.

"Hey Hakuryuu, calm down," Aladdin tries.

"You should shut up too, chibi assistant!" Hakuryuu turns on him now. "Uwaa!" Hakuryuu continues to cry until he can't cry anymore. Soon he is sitting on the ground in silence. Alibaba hesitantly walks towards him.

"Hakuryuu, we should move soon."

"Leave me behind. I cannot remain with you any longer," Hakuryuu mumbles, keeping his head down.

"Don't feel embarrassed about before, okay? It's just that you're starting to feel the burden of your responsibilities, right?" Alibaba asks. "And for something so important to you, mustn't you get out of here alive? You should borrow our power. You can't do it alone."

"Shut up!" Hakuryuu yells, pointing his spear at Alibaba's throat. "I'm different from you! Even if I'm alone, I have to fulfill my responsibilities! I cannot stop just because I can't do it! And I have to do it all alone!" Alibaba steps closer to the blade, shocking Hakuryuu.

"No one can do anything by themselves!" Alibaba shouts. "Listen to me Hakuryuu! I was also like that when I was in Balbadd, I felt like I had to do something and I could only run in circles by myself. But I was wrong. If only I had borrowed everyone's strength sooner. I would have saved a lot more people! Including Cassim." Alibaba clenches his fists, struggling to continue. "I was sure that there was a way to help him, and yet I-I killed him!"

"Alibaba," Aladdin whispers in worry as Alibaba begins to cry.

"Anyway, what I want to say is," Alibaba starts, wiping the tears away as he tries to gather himself. "I just want to say that humans cannot do anything alone." Hakuryuu relaxes slightly, lowering his blade as he stares at Alibaba.

"You are right," Hakuryuu sighs.

"What!?" Everyone asks in surprise.

"I'm sorry to have snapped and said those rude things. I'm a person that can't live alone. Ever since I was young, I've had a weak personality and no power. I lived because my sister, brother, family, and retainers helped me. I cannot remain like this but for now will you lend your strength to someone as powerless as I am?" Hakuryuu kneels in front of them, his hands clasped together in front of him. "Please, let me fight together with you!" Everyone stares at him in shocked before Alibaba smiles widely at him.

"Sure!" Alibaba agrees happily.

 _ **Chapter 18**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"What is this!?" Alibaba shouts.

"Those trees are people from the Toran village," Zagan smiles happily as he looks over the trees. All I can do is stare wide eyed at the trees in silence. How could Zagan do this? "Just look. They all became young trees! Zagan is the djinn in charge of the power of Earth. With that magic, I can manipulate the plants of the labyrinth, making them parasitic in humans. Then the roots absorb magoi from the humans and the labyrinth creatures are born! What do you think? Cute, right? But, don't worry, they won't die! They're useful to me. The human's filthy lives are nourishment for my dungeon," Zagan explains to us. His happy smile never once leaves his face.

"What a terrible thing to do!" Morgiana shouts.

"I'm sure that girl's parents are here too," Aladdin says sorrowfully. At the mention of her parents, the girl in Zagan's hand begins to cry again. I watch as Alibaba lunges towards a tree, trying to pull the human away from its trunk. "It's useless Alibaba! Pulling them won't help!" Aladdin rushes forward to stop him. "The only way to bring them back to normal is to use magic."

"Only magic!?" Alibaba frowns deeply towards Aladdin in frustration.

"Yam told me. She said that in magic, there are frightening techniques that transform humans into other things. But that's done with a complicated formula. I don't understand why, but only the person who cast this magic can return them to their original state!"

"Then let's head to the treasury!" Alibaba says in determination. "There, we'll make Zagan reverse his magic, even if it's by force!"

"Are you saying that we're going to fight Zagan?" Morgiana asks him.

"That's right! We don't have the time to think about conquering this dungeon anymore. We have to fight and save the people of the village!" Alibaba turns to Hakuryuu. "Hakuryuu, you're okay with this too, right?"

"Yes," Hakuryuu says, nodding his head in agreement. Alibaba nods before looking up to where Zagan's voice comes from.

"Wait for us, Zagan. We will stop this atrocity with our strength!" Alibaba declares. The four march forward, defeating everything that Zagan throws at them. Soon they arrive to the room where Zagan, the girl, and I are waiting for them. I struggle against the vines holding me down when I see my friends.

"Release the villagers immediately, Zagan!" Alibaba points his blade at him. "Or we'll put an end to your jokes!"

"Try it, but I don't think you can," Zagan smirks at him.

"Bastard!" Alibaba screams as he summons Amon's sword. He runs forward, jumping high into the air as he nears Zagan. Amon's sword easily cuts Zagan's head clean off his shoulders.

"He died that easily!?" Hakuryuu gasps in shock. Before anyone else can react, vines shoot from Zagan's neck and attach his head back to where it belongs.

"Die? Me? Ha," Zagan begins to laugh. "I pity you. You don't know this dungeon's absolute rule."

"Rule?" Alibaba questions. Zagan points his finger to a spot behind Alibaba and the ground begins to crack. Vines shoot high into the air and begin to form into multiple large bodies. My eyes widen in horror when I notice that they are all Zagan.

"The djinn is the absolute ruler of the dungeon. That's why no matter how much you struggle you cannot ever kill a djinn inside of his dungeon!" The multiple Zagan's begin to attack the four. Alibaba keeps slicing at the bodies but they continue to grow back effortlessly.

"S-Shit!" Alibaba exclaims, jumping back to dodge an attack.

"It's useless! Zagan is the djinn of the Earth! I can restore myself as many times as I want thanks to the nutrients in the soil of this dungeon!" Zagan grins madly at them. From the corner of my eye I notice Hakuryuu is sneaking closer to me while Zagan is distracted. He doesn't make it to me though. I cry out through the vines as Alibaba and Hakuryuu are both thrown back into the walls.

"We need to retreat for the moment!" Aladdin shouts to Morgiana.

"Yes!" Morgiana agrees. She quickly gathers Alibaba and Hakuryuu in her arms as Aladdin guards her back.

"Are you running away? Sorry, this is my room, so you will not get away!" Zagan laughs, snapping his fingers. The ground under them breaks open, revealing a large hole. I scream and struggle even harder as I watch them fall into it. The vines snap away at my outburst and I rush forward with my staff in hand.

"Aladdin! Hakuryuu!" I cry out. Zagan takes notice of me then.

"You aren't going anywhere," He smirks. The vines speed towards me again and I'm forced to dodge them over and over again. He leaves no room for me to attack or get any closer to my friends. He looks back to the hole. "That's my real body," Zagan peeks over the edge to smile down at them. "If you fall into my mouth, my gastric juices will make you disappear in seconds."

"What!?" Morgiana yells.

"Everyone, ride on the turban!" Aladdin calls out. I hear a slicing sound and then more screaming. I look towards the hole for a split second and then feel a pain in my side. I freeze mid step, looking down to my side. It feels wet and it's getting wetter. I choose to ignore it and run towards the hole, dodging vines as I do. By time I get there, Morgiana is jumping out of the hole with everyone in her arms.

"W-What!?" Zagan shouts. "How did they get out of there!?"

"Everyone, please stay here. I will go defeat the Zagan below us!" With that she jumps back into the hole.

"Haha!" Zagan laughs. "Have you lost your mind!? You just got out of there because of a fluke! To think you would jump into my mouth all by yourself! I'll turn you into a skewer and then eat you!" He screams at her. While Zagan is distracted and no longer attacking me, I rush to Hakuryuu and Aladdin.

"Amir!" They gasp.

"A-Are you guys okay?" I pant lightly, falling to my knees next to them. I don't even notice when I move a hand to my side, gripping it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"W-We are but what about you?" Aladdin asks, fear in his voice.

"Amir, you're bleeding," Hakuryuu rushes to my side. "We need to stop the bleeding," He says as he ties a long piece of cloth tightly around my torso. I wince as he does, but don't complain.

"Morgiana!" Alibaba shouts. Aladdin quickly rushes to the edge of the hole, looking over the edge with Alibaba. Hakuryuu stays by my side, holding my hand tightly.

"We need to get down there!" Aladdin says. Both Alibaba and Aladdin then climb down the vines to get to her. Hakuryuu turns to me while they do that.

"I'm sorry," He whispers softly. I frown at this, shaking my head.

"Don't apologize. You don't have a reason to be sorry," I give his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I do though," He looks up to meet my eye. "I said I would guide you through this dungeon. I wanted to protect you but I couldn't."

"It's okay, Hakuryuu," I smile at him tiredly. "There was nothing any of us could do against that fake djinn."

"I know but-" Hakuryuu cuts himself off. "Did you say fake djinn?"

"Yes," I nod. "This Zagan we have been fighting isn't the true djinn of this dungeon."

"Hakuryuu! Amir! You need to get down here!" Alibaba calls up to us.

"Okay!" Hakuryuu calls back before turning to me. "Amir, climb onto my back." I look at him strangely.

"I can climb down on my own."

"No," He says firmly. "You're already bleeding too much. If you climb down then." He looks down as he doesn't want to finish that sentence. I sigh softly at this. I know he's right. I don't have much of a choice here.

"Okay," I agree hesitantly. Once I'm comfortably on Hakuryuu's back, he climbs down the vines to the others.

"Everyone hurry to the treasury. We can't let them get there before us!" Aladdin is quick to order us when we arrive. "Let's go!" He starts to run. Alibaba follows him, carrying Morgiana bridal style in his arms.

"H-Hakuryuu, will you let me down now?" I blush lightly as I ask him. He shakes his head and continues to chase after Aladdin.

"That's it!" Alibaba exclaims. I look over Hakuryuu's shoulder to see a large door that is faintly glowing.

"Good, it's still closed!" Aladdin says. He crosses his arms in front of him before throwing his arms open. "Open sesame!" He yells. My eyes widen when a stone like dragon shoots towards him, Morgiana and Alibaba. Luckily, Aladdin's borg protects them.

"Well, we meet again Magi," A voice says from above us. I quickly look up and see the three merchants from the village.

"You're…" Aladdin trails off as he glares at the three.

"Who are they!?" Alibaba asks. "Wait, aren't they the merchants that we met in the Toran village market?" The female of the group giggles softly as the man in the middle begins to speak.

"This is the first time we've spoken directly Aladdin, but I know a lot about you," He says to Aladdin. I frown deeply at this. "Since the Balbadd incident you, and the King you chose, were the objective of our interest." The last member of their party, another tall man, steps forward as he begins to draw his sword.

"Isaac," The woman raises a hand to stop him. "I didn't command you to do anything, did I?"

"My deepest apologizes. That insolent fellow addressed her Majesty the Queen as merchant again," The man named Isaac speaks, his voice full of anger towards Alibaba. Wait, that woman is a Queen?

"Don't be so angry. It's fine," She smiles brightly at him.

"We disguised ourselves as merchants in order to enter the Toran island because we wanted to obtain the djinn Zagan and because it was a good chance to meet you now that you're away from the Kingdom of Sindria," The unnamed man explains to us. "In order to offer them to our Father, we will take Solomon's Wisdom and the life of King Alibaba!" With that they attack Alibaba, Morgiana and Aladdin with the rock dragon again. Aladdin steps in front of them, using his borg to protect them.

"Hakuryuu!" Alibaba calls. "Take the girls and Amir to a safe place!" He orders.

"Right!" Hakuryuu quickly takes Morgiana into his arms after letting me down. "I'm sorry Amir," He looks at me as we run. "I can't carry you both at the same time." I shake my head, panting heavily already.

"D-Don't be," I grip my side tightly. "I can run on my own." We continue for several long, agonizing minutes before I just couldn't anymore.

"Amir?" Hakuryuu asks as I collapse heavily onto the ground beside Morgiana. "Amir!" He quickly catches me in his arms.

"S-Sorry," I mumble, gripping my side tightly.

"You've lost too much blood." Hakuryuu frowns deeply.

"I'll be fine," I smile faintly at him. I pull away from his arms tiredly. "Go help Aladdin and Alibaba." He stares at me hard for a moment, thinking hard about what he should do. Soon he nods in agreement.

"Alright, but you have to stay here and rest. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I nod, not having it in me to fight against him. Hakuryuu quickly rushes out of the treasure room to go help the others.

"Are you really going to be okay?" The little girl asks. I look over to her.

"Yeah, this is nothing," I give her a reassuring smile. Slowly, I move to tear a sleeve off my shirt and use it as a new wrap for my wound. The cloth Hakuryuu used is soaked with blood. After I re-wrap my wound I lean against the wall, closing my eyes.

"We'll be out of here soon, Morgiana! Hang in there!" I jerk awake to see everyone is back.

"She's getting worse by the minute!" The little girl cries to Alibaba. I slowly force myself to my feet, wincing in pain as I do.

"Amir!" Hakuryuu rushes to me while Aladdin and Alibaba look for the djinn.

"You shouldn't be moving around." He frowns at me.

"I'm fine. Let's just help them find that djinn," He slowly nods in agreement. Soon all of us are looking through the treasure. If only I wasn't so weak right now. I could just look for the rukh of the djinn, but I can barely make anything out anymore.

"Which one is the djinn!?" Alibaba screams as he throws treasure around.

"If Ugo were here, I could search for him with the flute, but…" Aladdin trails off.

"That's it!" Alibaba exclaims. I faintly hear him drawing his blade before he begins to run. "It's there!" He yells, grabbing the treasure. My eyes go wide when even more rukh fills the room.

"Who will become King?" A voice booms. "My name is Zagan. The djinn of loyalty and purity!" I squint, trying to make out the large djinn through all the bright rukh.

"T-This is the real Zagan?" Alibaba questions. I watch as the djinn bows in front of our group, a hand placed over his chest. I tilt my head, greatly confused by this.

"Magi, I have to apologize for many things. I will immediately reverse the magic cast upon the villagers. That's a reckless action that my labyrinth creatures performed, but the djinn cannot leave the treasury, so I could not stop them. Forgive me, please." He turns to look at Morgiana who is resting on the ground behind us. "This is not enough to make up for what happened but I will give a part of the magoi in my dungeon to that girl to heal her. This will save her life." As he speaks, little plants begin to grow around Morgiana.

"She seems to be better!" The little girl yells. Alibaba grins widely, rushing over to Morgiana.

"T-Thanks Zagan!" Alibaba turns to look at the djinn. "Hey Zagan!" He calls out. Zagan makes a sour face, turning away from him.

"Could you please let only the Magi talk to me? Non-Magi make me feel sick." I continue to just stare at him. So, the real Zagan hates humans as well. "In any case," Zagan straightens himself. "Let's choose the King. I will choose him among those that reached the treasury! My master is you!" He points to Hakuryuu. "Ren Hakuryuu!" Hakuryuu gasps softly in surprise.

"Why me?" Hakuryuu frowns at the djinn.

"That's quite simple. You are the most talented one when it comes to using me! First off, apart from the Magi and the user of the household vessel, you have the most magoi. And your magoi manipulation ability has a good compatibility with my power, which governs onto the Earth and life. Do you understand now?" Zagan explains.

"But I think that there are people here more suitable than me." Hakuryuu looks down. I frown at this, taking his hand in my own. He is quick to hold onto it tightly.

"Ah. Are you talking about your comrade Alibaba? Hmm. Totally out!" Zagan makes another sour face at the thought of Alibaba. "I'd hate to serve under the same master of that stinking old fart called Amon. And above all, he wasn't even able to completely master Amon! Isn't that right? I don't want to become the second choice for a King vessel that isn't even able to handle a single djinn. Now, it is time for you all to leave," Zagan says before disappearing into Hakuryuu's spear. Alibaba is quick to begin packing up all the treasure in the room.

"Come on." Hakuryuu turns to me. "I'll carry you down." My face instantly turns red.

"I-I can walk on my own," I glare at him despite my reddened face. He simply chuckles at this.

"I know you can, but just let me help you," He smiles softly at me. My glare fades away and my heart skips a beat.

"F-Fine," I mumble and slowly get on his back once again. I bury my head in his neck as he carries me down the stairs to the clearing where everyone is now gathered.

"They're all safe. I'm so happy!" Aladdin says from behind us. I look up to see dozens of people in the clearing. They must be the villagers that Zagan said he would free.

"Yeah!" Alibaba agrees, smiling widely. I notice that he is carrying the woman that had attacked them. I don't bother questioning them about it.

"Ouch!" Hakuryuu suddenly yelps, nearly dropping me as he jerks his hand. I quickly hold onto him tighter and look down to see a snake slithering away.

"Hakuryuu? Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt that much," He replies, sending me a smile.

"Are you sure? What if it was poisonous?"

"Don't worry about me Amir. You just get some rest." I nod slightly, laying my head on his shoulder and let myself relax.

 _ **Alibaba's**_ __ _ **Pov**_

"Am I back?" I wonder aloud, looking up to the sky. I frown when I hear a strange noise and quickly climb out of this hole to see what's going on. "What?" I mumble when I see what seems to be a tornado. The villagers are all running away, screaming as the tornado destroys everything it touches. "What in the world happened!?" I scream, running forward. A second later, Aladdin is being thrown past me. His borg breaks when he hits the ground. "Aladdin!" I run to his side. I quickly take notice that Hakuryuu, Amir, and Morgiana are already down. Every one of them is covered in fresh wounds and unconscious.

"Al Sarmen," Aladdin struggles to say when I get to him. I quickly help him to his feet, but he barely stays standing. "They ambushed us outside of the dungeon!"

"Al Sarmen, you say!?" I look up when I hear laughing to see three men floating in the sky.

"They all have the dark metal vessel. I was able to block their attacks, but I used too much stamina with Solomon's Wisdom. To be honest, I'm barely able to stand right now."

"Are you kidding me?" I ask in disbelief. My eyes widen when they begin to attack us again and there is nothing I can do to stop them. The attack throws Aladdin and I back onto the ground next to the others. I fight to keep my eyes open but fail.

 _ **Chapter 19**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Where am I?" I groan softly as I sit up.

"Amir!" I hear Aladdin gasp. "You're finally awake!" He jumps onto me, hugging me tightly. I wince a little and my face begins to burn red.

"W-What?" I stutter, trying to get out of his grasp.

"You've been asleep for a while now," Hakuryuu says. I jump a little, looking over to him. I notice that he is frowning as he stares at Aladdin.

"Oh." I frown a little. "How is everyone doing?"

"Everyone is fine," He looks up to meet my eye, smiling faintly. I return the smile before looking back down to Aladdin.

"Aladdin? What's wrong?" I manage to pull him away far enough so I can see his face.

"I…" I notice a faint blush on his cheeks. "I was just worried is all." I nod, deciding to not push for any farther explanation.

"Where are we anyway?" I question.

"We're almost to Sindria. We will be arriving in a few minutes," Hakuryuu informs me. My eyes go wide and I quickly move to stand up. I rush around to make myself presentable after kicking Aladdin and Hakuryuu out. Soon someone is knocking at the door.

"Amir, we're here!" Hakuryuu calls. I open the door and nod.

"Okay. Let's go then," We walk up to the deck, joining everyone else.

"It's the dungeon conqueror!" People begin to cheer. "Blessings to our heroes!"

"You did well, Alibaba," A voice sounds when we get off the boat. I quickly turn to it to see my father. I frown a little when he doesn't even look at me.

"Sinbad!" Alibaba rushes up to him.

"You accomplished the dungeon quest and returned safely!" Father grins at him.

"Yes! Hakuryuu obtained Zagan!" Alibaba informs him.

"I see," Father trails off, lost in his own thoughts. "Well congratulations. Now, come on! Let's prepare a banquet! Blessings to the heroes!" The people begin to cheer louder at my father's words.

~Later That Day~

"Father," I say as I approach him. Since we have returned, he has yet to say anything to me. He's gone back to completely ignoring me and sadly, I'm not even a little surprised.

"Yes?" He sighs softly as he turns to me.

"I'm sorry," I bow my head in shame. "I failed to protect everyone in the dungeon. I was completely useless."

"I know," He says after a long moment. "But do not apologize. The mission was too much for you. I should have been aware of that." With that he walks away as I shake in anger. I decided not to say anything though. Instead, I go looking for Hakuryuu.

"The feeling I conveyed to you before I went to the dungeon have not changed," Is the first thing I hear as I approach Hakuryuu who is talking with my father. My mood sours a little more. Of course, my father is going to be here.

"I apologize, but Sindria has no wish to fight against the Kou Empire in the near future," Father says.

"I-It's alright if you don't do so right now!" Hakuryuu says in a hurry. "I just hope that, when the right time comes along, you might become the shield that will watch my back."

"I understand. I will think about it," Father smiles at him. I lightly frown as I look over Hakuryuu. Something seems wrong.

"Really!?" Hakuryuu gasps.

"Yeah," Father nods. "Personally, I find you very likable after all."

"Thank you very much!" Hakuryuu beams. They both step forward to shake hands. When their hands meet, my eyes go wide as black rukh swells up in Hakuryuu's injured arm.

"From now on, you and I are in the same boat! You'll have to lend me your power in times of need, too," Father says. I quickly run forward.

"Hakuryuu!" I shout. Everyone turns to me in confusion.

"What is it, Amir?" Father sighs deeply.

"S-Something is wrong with his arm." I choose to ignore his sigh.

"My arm?" Hakuryuu looks at it along with everyone else.

"Amir-" Father starts but Hakuryuu gasps in pain.

"Urgh!" He clutches his arm tightly. I watch in horror as the black rukh continues to build up.

"Are you alright, Hakuryuu?" Father asks.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright. This is just a minor injury I got in the dungeon." Hakuryuu tries to brush it off with a smile. We all stare in shock as his arm falls off and black rukh spews from it. The rukh quickly takes the form of a man.

"W-Who is this guy!?" Alibaba shouts, running up to us.

"Oh, don't you recognize me with this appearance?" The man smiles before waving a hand in front of his face. Everyone gasps softly for some unknown reason. I can only guess he somehow changed his appearance.

"H-He's that guy from the dungeon!" Alibaba mutters in anger. My eyes go wide. He's one of the merchants from the dungeon they were telling me about?

"Magi, King Alibaba, and King Sinbad." The man points to them. "I came here to invite you." He turns his head away from them, looking at the crowd around us. "I see. So, this is the Kingdom of Sindria, huh. I have trouble breathing here." I tilt my head a little. This guy is a bit random. Before anyone can react he beings to attack the citizens.

"You bastard!" Someone screams. Alibaba, Aladdin, and Sharrkan are quick to attack him. Sharrkan's blade easily cuts him in half but he simply reforms. Soon the black rukh begins to form into more bodies.

"What!?" Alibaba shouts. "Dammit! What's wrong with these guys!?" Alibaba shouts when another one reforms, completely unharmed from his attack.

"Father! Watch out!" I shout when I see one heading straight for him. I quickly move to stand in front of him, but he simply pushes me out of the way. I stumble back a few feet from the push. Ja'far steps forward, easily taking the man down. Blood flies out of the wound towards Father and I. Acting fast, I put up my borg so that blood doesn't hit me. At the same time, Alibaba cries out.

"What's wrong with this blood!?" He screams.

"Heh, only the Magi and young Prince noticed but it's too late now for those two. Following the will of our father, we bestow upon you the curse of death!" I stare at the blood on my father's face. It's giving off a lot of black rukh.

"A curse!?" Alibaba says.

"Why you… What did you do to our King!?" The guards shout when they arrive, surrounding the man. All of them point their spears towards him, ready to attack.

"Stop, you can't cut him!" Aladdin quickly stops them.

"The Magi has good perception. That's our invitation letter to the first-class singularity King Sinbad and the vessel that was chosen by Solomon's arrogance, King Alibaba. Become Black Kings and surrender to our father!" The man chuckles softly. "That thing will possess your blood vessels and dye your rukh black. Before long, you will be reborn as totally different human beings because there isn't a single person in this world who doesn't possess a little bit of darkness in their heart."

"Falling into depravity!?" I hear Aladdin shout.

"You cannot oppose that flow. If you try to do so, Solomon's rukh and your black rukh will destroy each other inside of your body and your flesh will rot." The man begins to float into the sky. "Well then, you'll have to excuse me. This country is so full of white rukh that I have problems breathing, but it was really comfortable living inside of you, Prince Hakuryuu. Let us meet again!" He then disappears, leaving no trace of his black rukh.

"What should we do about this?" Alibaba asks once we've all gathered inside the palace. He looks at the black bruise on his arm, grimacing as he does.

"What a shame to allow this to happen in our presence," Sharrkan mumbles. All of the generals have a look of shame on their faces as they look down. I can't help but to look down as well. I was right there. I should have protected them.

"Don't panic," Father says firmly. He looks his hand up to look at the bruise caused by the black rukh. "Curses don't exist. This is most likely some sort of magic. Isn't that right, Yamuraiha?"

"Yes," She agrees after inspecting his arm. "This is magic. This black bruise, it works because of magic. Since this is magic I'm sure there is a way to cancel it!"

"That's great!" Aladdin and Alibaba grin.

"But, I've never seen such magic. It's a magic that attacks other people's magoi. I have no idea what orders of formula made this magic work! For a magic as complex as this, only the person who cast it would know how to undo it."

"But you're certain this is magic. So, there must be a way to undo it, right?" Aladdin asks.

"Y-Yes," Yam hesitates to answer.

"Then I will undo it. I won't let you two to die from such a magic!" Aladdin says in determination. I frown as I look at him. How could he possibly undo it?

"In any case, Yamuraiha, suppress the magic on Alibaba for the moment," Father orders as he stands up.

"But didn't he cast the same magic on you?" Aladdin tilts his head.

"Yeah," Father smiles. "But I'm alright." We all look at him in confusion, but don't question it. "Well then, there's only one thing left for me to do. Yamuraiha," He looks towards her.

"Yes?"

"Prepare the teleportation magic circle." After that Aladdin and I follow both of them to the room with the circle in it. When we get there, Father steps into the circle and disappears.

"Where did Mister Sinbad go?" Aladdin asks Yam.

"Into the transfer magic circle," She smiles at him. I shake my head at her poor answer.

"Transfer magic circle?" Aladdin questions in confusion.

"That's right. You asked me where King Sinbad disappeared to. This is the answer. Two kinds of barriers cover this country. One is used to identify and hinder our enemies. That is the defensive barrier. The other one is a barrier that tracks the position of an enemy that was able to trespass into our Kingdom, and it can also transfer anyone to the enemy's location within a range of two hundred kilometers around the main island. That is the transfer magic circle," She explains to him.

"Is something like that even possible!?" Aladdin gasps.

"It's something the King and I completed to protect Sindria. It is a magic I have great pride in!" Yam smiles brightly at the thought of her magic.

"We should go to Alibaba," I say when she becomes too distracted.

"Yes." Yam frowns a little. "King Sinbad should be back soon. He will meet us there." The three of us then rush to Alibaba who was being taken to another magic circle. When we get there, Yam is quick to start casting magic to help slow the curse down.

"Urghhh!" Alibaba cries out. I stand on the side lines with Aladdin, watching helplessly.

"Alibaba!" Aladdin runs to the edge of the circle when he hears his friend.

"This is bad. The magoi of the caster took shape and is going wild inside his body," Yam frowns deeply but continues casting her magic.

"Can't we do anything!?" Aladdin screams.

"It's difficult because the magoi emitted by our enemy's rukh is spreading into every corner of his vital organs. It we aren't skilled enough when we make our move then he could die because there isn't a way to remove just the enemy's rukh from his body!"

"But…" Aladdin begins to shake in frustration. I quickly go to his side, trying to calm him down a little.

"It would be different if we could enter directly into his body…" Yam trails off as she thinks.

"What's Alibaba's situation!?" I look to the doorway to see my Father walking in. The black rukh that was once covering his skin is gone. Yam quickly explains what's going on to him.

"I see," He walks over, kneeling beside the circle. "But the advancement of the curse is slow. Is it because you are suppressing it, Yamuraiha?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing. Alibaba's own body… his resistance to this curse is stronger than normal. I wonder what it is?" Yam asks herself before continuing. "But if this situation continues like this, things will get bad. The curse grows by drawing from Alibaba's magoi. If we aren't careful, that man could be revived by feasting on his body!"

"Aladdin," Father turns to him. "You can help Alibaba, right? You are a Magi. You have a special power when it comes to things regarding the rukh. Also, you still have a mysterious power you haven't shown us, right? Use it to save your friend!" Aladdin is silent for a long moment before he nods.

"I understand," Aladdin stands up and grabs his staff. "Solomon's Wisdom!" He shouts and the room is quickly taken over by the rukh he summoned.

"What is this!?" Yam shouts. I quickly catch Aladdin when he slumps forward. I hold him close to me as I kneel on the ground with him in my lap.

"Aladdin isn't here anymore. His consciousness has been completely transferred into the rukh's world!" Yam gasps. I frown as I look at the shining light on Aladdin's forehead. This is.. Solomon's Wisdom? We all quickly look towards Alibaba when he begins to glow softly.

"Alibaba's curse suddenly became weaker?" Yam says, clearly confused.

"Is that because of Aladdin?" I ask. No one answers me seeing as known of us really know what is going on. After a few more minutes the black rukh on Alibaba disappears into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

"The bruise vanished," Yam says softly as she sighs in relief. I smile, looking at Aladdin. Well whatever he did, it worked. He saved him.

 _ **Chapter 20**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Well then, I will announce the results of the last dungeon conquest to the Eight Generals," Ja'far speaks. My father, the eight generals, and I have all gathered together to have a meeting. Sadly, I have to attend these boring things since I'm the Prince. The whole time I barely pay any attention.

"What did we gain?" My father asks once Ja'far stops speaking.

"Around 24 dungeon items, three million in dinar, and a dark metal vessel from the organization. Also, one of the users of such a tool, that Princess from the Mustashim Kingdom, is presently being confined inside the royal palace." Father nods, taking in this information.

"Everybody, I need your attention," Father says. "A big ordeal will probably befall this country before long but fear not. Because I've gathered so much strength to overcome such an ordeal to protect Sindria. And now, we are continuing to gather even more strength. I'm sure, that we will be able to get it with our hands as well because the world we continued to wish for is our destiny, itself!" All the generals smile brightly at my father. I just shake my head and silently leave the meeting room.

"Amir?" I hear a very familiar voice. "I thought you were in a meeting?" Hakuryuu asks as he walks up to me.

"I was but I got bored," I say bluntly. He chuckles softly at this.

"Then can we talk?" I frown a little but nod. He shyly takes my hand in his own. "Let's go somewhere more private," He leads me out of the palace and towards a beach.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask once we make ourselves comfortable on the sand. His rukh quickly turns bright pink when I question him. I tilt my head a little, confused as to why he is blushing so much.

"I-I umm…" He trails off and begins to fidget. "I just wanted to tell you something." I just nod, waiting for him to continue. "I…" He sighs before mumbling to himself. He suddenly takes my hands in his, holding them close to his chest. My face begins to turn a little pink. "Amir, I really like you," He blurts out. My eyes widen and I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open.

"W-What?" I stutter. I try to pull my hands away, but he doesn't let me.

"I've liked you for a long time now. Since the first time I saw you actually," He smiles softly at me. I frown a little at this.

"Since you first saw me? You mean when you told everyone my secret?"

"O-Oh. Um yes," He looks down at that. "I think I fell in love with your eyes that day. I couldn't stop staring at them. I think that's why I picked up on your secret so fast."

"You… you like my eyes?" I mumble, my face turning bright red.

"I love them," He says as he looks me in the eye. "They're really dark. A dark blue." His smile widens as he looks at my eyes, at their color.

"A-And you like me?" I whisper softly. He nods quickly.

"I've wanted to tell you so many times, but every chance I got someone would interrupt us."

"When we were heading to Zagan…" My eyes widen in realization. "You were going to tell me then, weren't you?" He nods shyly.

"Hakuryuu," I start but trail off, looking down as I don't know what to say. His grip on my hands tighten a little.

"Does this mean you don't like me back?" He whispers. I quickly look up.

"N-No!" I bite my lip. "I just… I'm not good at this stuff." I notice that he glanced down at my lips.

"Just tell me how you feel." He leans in a little closer to me.

"I… I think I really like you too," I say softly. He smiles brightly at me.

"Can I try something then?"

"I-I guess," I glance away from him as I grow even more embarrassed. Next thing I know, I feel something soft press against my lips. I squeak softly, pulling back in surprise. He chuckles softly at my reaction.

"You don't have to be so nervous," He rests his forehead against mine.

"I-I know," I stutter softly. He gently pressing his lips against mine again, and this time I don't pull away. Instead, I shyly kiss him back, taking in the feel of his lips against my own. Slowly, he begins to pull away.

"Wow," He breathes, grinning from ear to ear. I can't help but to grin back just as wide. We continue to talk after that, both of us blushing horribly. Soon we are found by a few soldiers and informed that Father wished for us to join him for dinner. _We make our way there together, stealing glances at one another._

"Depart from Sindria!?" Alibaba gasps. All of us gathered together after dinner because Hakuryuu had something to tell us.

"Yes. I will depart by ship a week from today," Hakuryuu smiles at them. I frown deeply. Why didn't he tell me this sooner? "There were troubles I did not expect, but I've almost reached my objective in this country."

"Are you going back to the Kou Empire?" Morgiana asks.

"No," He shakes his head. "I intend to meet my sister who is in charge of the Western Tenzan Base. What will you guys do from now on?" He questions us.

"Eh? U-Us?" Alibaba shutters. "For the time being, we will be with Sinbad! Right, Morgiana?"

"Eh?" Is all she says in reply.

"Are you fine with Balbadd's current situation?" Hakuryuu suddenly asks.

"No, that's…" Alibaba frowns a little.

"No, I'm sure you have some plans about it. Let me use this time to say this. At first, I thought you were an irresponsible guy that never thought about what he was doing."

"Well, you already told me that while we were in Zagan," Alibaba cuts him off to point out this little fact. Hakuryuu turns a little red in the face.

"R-Really? Anyway, now I know that it's not true so no matter what path you choose, I'm sure that you will follow what you believe." Hakuryuu smiles softly at Alibaba.

"Hakuryuu, we don't have much time left, but let's continue to enjoy it together," Alibaba grins widely. I simply shake my head and leave to find Aladdin. Why didn't he tell me he was leaving when we were at the beach together.?

~Later That Night~

"Amir are you sure Mister Sinbad will be okay with you being here?" Aladdin asks me. I decided to join them in their room tonight. It's in the Green Sagittarius Tower, which is meant for the guests.

"I don't care," I say, shrugging it off. They all decide it's best to not question me farther. Soon Alibaba begins to tell Aladdin about what happened earlier.

"So, that's what Hakuryuu said this afternoon," Alibaba says once he finishes telling Aladdin. "I feel like I have been with him together for a long time because of all the things that happened in the dungeon. I'm sure I will feel lonely after having to part ways so soon."

"Yeah," Aladdin agrees in a soft tone.

"But for now, we will remain here, right?" Alibaba asks.

"Alibaba, Mor, Amir, I have something to tell you," Aladdin says, completely serious.

"Something to tell us?" We all ask, confused by his serious tone.

"I think very soon. I will go on a journey alone!" My eyes go wide and I quickly sit up.

"A solo journey? What do you mean, Aladdin?" Alibaba also sits up, frowning as he does.

"There's a big school of magic in the country called Magnoshutatt. I definitely want to go there and study magic," Aladdin explains.

"Wow. Study, huh. But you can do that even under Yamuraiha's wing!" Alibaba tries.

"That's true, but I also have other reasons. Lately, I've begun to wonder if it's really right for me to stay here like this. This country is a good place, but Mister Sinbad's radiance here is too strong. And I feel like I would be swallowed up into the path he has chosen without even realizing it. I want to know a lot more things about this vast world! That's why I will go on a journey."

"A-Aladdin… I see. A journey. That could be a good idea! If that's the way it is, then of course we'll go too! Right, Morgiana?" Alibaba says.

"Y-Yes," She nods slowly.

"You can't," Aladdin says firmly.

"Huh?" Alibaba tilts his head a little before he stands up, glaring at Aladdin a little. "What in the world are you thinking, Aladdin!? Why are you going to a country that is probably involved with Al Sarmen? In that case, I will go, too!" Aladdin just shakes his head no. "What's with that? Aren't you being cold?" Alibaba frowns deeply, his shoulders slumping.

"Alibaba. I want to make you into a King. But not a King of some country out there. I want to turn you into a person who can give hope to others while the world is falling apart. Plus, I'm not strong enough."

"Not strong enough, you say? Aren't you incredibly strong already?" Alibaba asks in a weak voice.

"No. I've thought about it. In Balbadd, and the other time in the dungeon. The people whom we could save with our strength alone, weren't they really few?" Aladdin asks him. I look down as I think about this. He's right. "The ones who always saved us at the end were Sinbad and the Eight Generals. Compared to them, I don't have enough power and knowledge. So, I want to obtain those."

"I already told you, if you want to train, I will go with you!" Alibaba shouts at him.

"No, you cannot come with me. You have to think by yourself about what you want to do," Aladdin says firmly. Think by ourselves? "Ah, also, I heard that right now, only magicians are admitted into Magnoshutatt."

"Then…" I speak, looking up to meet Aladdin's eye. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Amir," He frowns, sighing a little.

"I want to leave Sindria. I want away from my father. I want to train and learn more so I can protect my friends," I say firmly. "Even if you say no, I can still go to Magnoshutatt."

"But-" Aladdin starts, but I stop him.

"And I'm not just following you either. I've made this decision on my own. I want to do this for myself." He slowly nods, taking in my words.

"Alright, if that's what you really want," He smiles at me. I faintly smile back at him, looking down to my lap once again. I'm sorry Hakuryuu. For now, this is what I have to do. I want to become stronger to protect the ones I hold dear to me.

 _~~The next morning~~_

I leave to find my father to tell him that I will be leaving Sindria with Aladdin. The palace was quiet, seeing as it's still very early in the morning. When I get to his office I stop outside the door, frowning when I hear Yam arguing with him.

"We need to tell him Sinbad!" Yam yells at him. I raise an eye brow before quietly pressing my ear to the door. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but it's weird for them to be up this early and already fighting. If I simply asked then they wouldn't tell me. They never answer me when I ask.

"You were the one who wanted to hide it from everyone!" Father shouts back. "It's a bit late to want to tell Amir isn't it!?"

"I-I know," Yam sighs, calming down a little. "But he deserves to know. We can't keep it hidden. Sooner or later he will ask again, and this time he will want a real answer."

"This is just going to cause trouble," Father grumbles.

"I don't care. We… I never should have hidden it from him. We shouldn't have hidden it from anyone," Yam whispers, sounding close to tears. I frown deeply at this. I quietly knock on the door and then enter.

"A-Amir!" They panic. I continue to frown at them, confused.

"What's going on here." I question, crossing my arms.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Father says firmly.

"You said you were hiding something from me, so I think I should be concerned," I say flatly.

"Sinbad," Yam says in an almost pleading tone. Father sighs, shaking his head.

"What did you come here so early in the morning for Amir?" Father asks, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I needed to tell both of you something. I decided that I'm going to leave Sindria to-" Yam cuts me off.

"What!? No!" She rushes towards me.

"Why?" Father asks calmly. We both decide to ignore Yam's outburst.

"I'm going to Magnoshutatt with Aladdin to train."

"But…" Yam practically whimpers.

"I really want to do this, Yam. I'm not strong enough." I look down, still feeling a little ashamed. "I couldn't protect my friends in that dungeon. I was useless. I don't ever want to feel like that again. I want to protect everyone I hold dear. That includes you and Father," I look up to smile softly at her. She continues to stare at me with wide eyes before she nods slowly.

"I-I understand but you need to know something before you leave," She says softly.

"Is it about what you're hiding from me?" I question. She nods as Father stands up quickly.

"Yamuraiha!" He warns, but she doesn't seem to hear him.

"I-I'm… I'm your mother, Amir," She says softly, resting her hands on my shoulders. I look up at her, confused.

"I know. You've always been like a mother to me, Yam," I say, smiling at her.

"No," She shakes her head. "I'm not just like your mother. I'm your birth mother." My eyes widen and my smile slowly slips away.

"What?" I question. What is she talking about? I look towards my father for answers. He sighs deeply before he nods. I look back at Yam as I slowly back away from her.

"Amir," She says, reaching for me, but I recoil away from her touch.

"Why?" I mumble. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I don't have a good reason," She frowns deeply at herself.

"I want a reason!" I suddenly shout. Tears begin to burn my eyes, but I hold them back.

"I was drunk!" She shouts back. I freeze, completely shocked by this. "It was a mistake and I didn't want the other generals to know! We were so young. I just… I wasn't ready to be a mother."

"You…" I choke on the words. I faintly notice that my cheeks were wet. "You never told me because I was a mistake?" I whisper. My voice wavers as I struggle to hold my emotions in.

"Amir," She tries to hug me, but I push her away.

"You knew how much I wanted to know! How much it hurt that I never knew my mother! But you never told me!" I cry. "Why? You still took care of me, yet you couldn't tell me? That doesn't make any sense!" I scream at her.

"I-I know," She whimpers as she begins to cry as well. "I just didn't know what to do."

"See Yamuraiha?" Father walks forward. "I told you this would just be trouble." I glare coldly at him.

"You both lied to me. My whole life," I say, looking him in the eye. He just nods, never flinching at my cold tone. "That's just… it's horrible."

"We thought it was for the best at the time," Father says, as if that makes everything better.

"You thought it was best for you! You two didn't even bother to think about how I would feel! I always thought my mother didn't care about me! And I guess I was right."

"No! Amir, I love you. You have always been my son," Yam cries. I shake my head, wiping my tears away angrily.

"If you truly loved me then why lie for so long? If I've always been your son, then why couldn't I know that?" I question her, but she doesn't have anything to say in return. "You know what? I'm glad I'm leaving Sindria," I say, walking to the door. Yam grabs my arm.

"Amir, please," She pleads. I look at her and nearly break, but I hold strong.

"I have to. I can't stay here any longer. I don't want to be locked away and lied to anymore," I quickly brush her hand away and rush out of the room.

 _ **Chapter 21**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I glance towards Hakuryuu and Morgiana who are talking privately. Princess Dunya's funeral had just ended and they both walked away to talk for a moment. I continue to stare in confusion when Hakuryuu's rukh turns pink. His rukh often looks like that when he talks to me. I wonder what they could be talking about?

"Amir!" Aladdin says, gaining my attention. I quickly notice that Yam is with him. I still have yet to call her my mother.

"Yes?" I don't even glance at Yam.

"Where have you been the past few days? You completely disappeared," He frowns at me. I look down, feeling a little guilty for ignoring him for so long.

"I've had a lot on my mind is all," I say softly.

"Oh. Want to talk about it?" He smiles softly at me.

"Maybe later," I say before I walk away to prepare for our journey.

 _~~The Next Day~~_

"Keep in contact with this stone, Aladdin," Yam says to Aladdin. "This is called the Eye of The Rukh. It's a magic tool with my long-range clairvoyance embedded in it. If we have the same type of magic tool, we can communicate with each other even if we are in different places. Its range depends on the quantity of magoi of the people using it but, considering that it will be the two of us, we should be fine even for a Sindria to Magnoshutatt communication," She explains to him.

"You are important guests to me. So be sure to return safe and sound," Father speaks to him next. I notice that both Yam and Father are smiling fondly at Aladdin.

"Yes. I will be back for sure," Aladdin smiles at the two.

"Yam," I speak up. She looks at me in shock, which is understandable. I haven't talked to her since she told me the truth. I haven't known what to say.

"Yes, Amir?" She walks over to me. Everyone seems to be watching us for some reason. They most likely are because I've been avoiding her.

"I've been thinking a lot the past few days and I don't think I can forgive you or Father. I don't know if I ever really will," I say in a firm tone. She looks down in disappointment, but I continue anyway. "But, I still love you," I smile softly at her. "You've always been like a mother to me and you always will be."

"Does this mean?" She looks at me hopefully.

"Yes," I nod slightly. She quickly wraps her arms around me, holding me tightly.

"I love you so much Amir and I'm so sorry," She cries softly. I hug her back gently.

"I love you too, Mom," I faintly hear multiple gasps of shock from around us through Yam's happy cries.

"Wait what?" Sharrkan questions in confusion. I slowly pull away from Yam who begins to clean her face.

"Yam, can I?" She nods, smiling nervously at me. I look towards Sharrkan with a happy smile. "Yam is my mother. My birth mother," I chuckle softly at the face he makes.

"Wow really!?" Aladdin bounces up to me. "That's amazing!" He grins. I can't help but to grin back.

"Alright, it's about time you all left," Father finally speaks in a clearly upset voice. I just nod in agreement and make my way onto the ship. I don't have anything to say to him yet. The others soon follow me and we set out on our journey.

"So why didn't you tell me that Yamuraiha was your mother?" Hakuryuu asks in a dead voice, void of any emotion. I raise an eye brow at this as I look up at him.

"I didn't know," I simply reply. He continues to stare at me, but now in confusion and soon Aladdin and Morgiana are as well. I sigh softly at them before explaining. "I overheard Yam- I mean Mother and Father arguing about it a few days ago. Mother decided to tell me against Fathers wishes."

"It's kind of weird hearing you call Yam Mother," Aladdin says.

"Yeah. It kind of is," I chuckle softly. "But, I'm glad that she is my mother."

 _ **Chapter 22**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"What's wrong, Morgiana?" Alibaba asks her. Alibaba finally joined us last night after being teased by the others.

"Nothing. It's just that the situation at the port seems strange," She mumbles.

"Are you able to see that far from this distance?" Aladdin asks her.

"Is that fire?" She ignores his question. My eyes widen when I sense a new rukh near us. I quickly turn to the person, a young boy who seems to be floating in some kind of bubble.

"Who are you!?" I question him, but he merely chuckles at me. Everyone quickly turns to see who I'm yelling at.

"Incredible, you have good eyes, Lady," He says to Morgiana.

"What's that?" Alibaba asks. "Is he floating?"

"That's some kind of magic," I tell him.

"Hey you," He points to us. "This is a good ship. I'm sure it's loaded with goods and stuff. Give everything to me."

"What are you talking about!? Who are you!?" The guards ready themselves to attack.

"Me? We…" He raises his arm. As if they were waiting for the boy's signal, two ships rise from the water. "We are pirates!" He grins at us.

"Here we come!" They scream, jumping down from the ships.

"Who are they!?" The guards shout as they try to fight them off.

"That's Aum Madaura's ship's. Why are they here!?" The captain yells. My eyes widen at the slightly familiar name.

"Magic tool Sharrar Rasars!" I hear one of the pirate's shout. I turn to see the guards being thrown back by the water magic.

"What the hell is that weapon!?" Everyone screams as they panic. I quickly jump into the fight along with the others to protect the people on this ship.

"What's wrong with them!? They're not normal!" The pirates are soon shouting as they panic. "Olba! Olba please!"

"You're pathetic. You call yourselves children of Aum Madaura?" The boy sounds from above us. He slowly floats down to the deck, standing in front of his men.

"S-Sorry," The pirates nearly whimper. Olba reaches up and pats him on the head with even looking at him.

"You. How old are you?" Olba points at Aladdin. Aladdin doesn't answer him. "Oh well. It doesn't change the fact that you're a magician who's getting in Aum Madaura's way." My eyes widen when he moves to attack. Before I can even move Morgiana has scooped all of us into her arms to run, but the magic still hits us.

"What the hell is this!?" Alibaba shouts. I quickly notice this is the same magic he was using to float. "Dammit, something like this won't!" Alibaba uses his magic vessel to destroy the bubble we are in. We all let out screams when we begin to fall. My fall is cut short when something wraps around my waist and gently sets me onto the deck. I follow the vine like thing that saved me back to Hakuryuu. My eyes widen when I see that it's his wooden arm.

"What!" The pirates scream as more of these vines attack them.

"Y-Your arm!" Alibaba gasps. Hakuryuu smirks at him.

"It is my turn to fight," Hakuryuu says confidently as he turns to face the pirates. "This is Zagan's ability. The power of plants is awakened through the metal vessel's touch." He explains to us.

"Don't be scared!" Olba shouts. "Make yourselves worthy of Aum Madaura's name!" They all begin to attack Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu easily cuts through the magic with his spear.

"Dammit! Don't falter! Attack all together!" Olba orders.

"Hakuryuu!" I cry out when they surround him. Hakuryuu calmly raises his wooden arm up. "Zaug Movalezo!" Hakuryuu says. His arm extends again, shooting out to capture the pirates. "This is the end."

"Hold it right there!" Olba orders him. I look to see that he is holding a blade to the captain's neck. "Try anything else, and you'll see this guy's head fly off." Everyone stops fighting at his warning. "That's right. Just be good and let us have the cargo." We make no move to stop them as they load up the cargo and disappear back into the water.

"Are you alright?" Aladdin rushes to the captain's side.

"Yes, thank you. However, the important cargo on our ship was taken. I'm too ashamed to show my face in front of King Sinbad anymore." The captain lowers his head. "But we survived an encounter with the Great Holy Mother thanks to you."

"Did you just say the Great Holy Mother?" I step forward.

"Yes," He nods slowly. I frown deeply at this. We don't ask anymore of him and soon arrive to the port of the Aktia Kingdom.

"This is awful. It's a mess," Alibaba mutters. The port seems to be destroyed from what the others are saying. All I know is that there are people running from place to place and most of them are crying.

"This is strange. Aktia's port is supposed to be protected by this country's powerful navy. How did this happen?" The captain questions.

"The Great Holy Mother," A voice sounds. I look to see three men walking towards us. "We are from the Aktia Kingdom's navy. You are from the Sindria trade ship, right?"

"We are," I answer them.

"Commander, who is the Great Holy Mother?" Aladdin asks.

"They are a pirate crew from the West. They are a frenzied bunch who pillage cities by making use of their magic tools," They explain.

"But why have they appeared in this area of the ocean? A pirate crew shouldn't be able to stretch their reach into the heavily protected sea of Aktia, right?" The captain asks.

"You are right," The commander sighs as he looks down. "But in recent years, we've had to send our soldiers towards the Northern border of the country so we are short of hands for protecting the sea."

"Northern border?" Aladdin tilts his head.

"Yes. Towards Magnoshutatt's defensive battle line. After the destruction of the Mustashim Royalty, they began to step into the adjacent countries. Magnoshutatt is already an ominous country that is perpetrating something we are unable to understand." I frown and look towards Aladdin.

"Aladdin-" Alibaba cuts himself off when we hear something. The people that live here are moving closer to us. All of them are begging the guards. "What's wrong?" He asks the guards.

"Not again. Good grief," The guards mumble as they look at the people.

"Please save our children!" The people cry. "Get our children back from the pirates!"

"What's this about children?" I ask the guards.

"Well Aum Madaura kidnaps children every time they come to the city. We don't know why they do that. The children they take are basically from the slums. We don't know what they intend to do with those children."

"Have you done anything about this?" I cross my arms as I stare him down. He fidgets nervously.

"No. I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. There is no way to save the children."

"There's no way to help those children!? Why!?" Alibaba begins to shout.

"Well their pirate ship is able to go underwater so even if we are Aktia's navy, it's impossible for us to pursue them, much less capture their hideout."

"So, it's because of that strange magic tool, huh." Alibaba looks at Aladdin who agrees with him.

"No way!" The people that heard the commander speak begin to cry out again. "You'll leave our children to die!?"

"Aladdin, do you have an idea on how to solve this?" Alibaba asks him. Aladdin just tilts his head. "Something like a magic that helps us breathe underwater? Ah, what about a magic that transforms us into fish!?" I sigh deeply at this, shaking my head.

"I don't know how to do that," Aladdin says.

"Alibaba," Hakuryuu steps forward. "There is no need to trouble Aladdin. I have a plan ready."

"Oh?" I raise an eye brow at him. "Do tell." He smirks at me before placing the end of his spear on the ground.

"Awaken, Zagan!" He orders. I watch silently as he sends his magoi through it and it spreads out into the ground. The ground splits open and vine sprout. They are quickly attracted to Hakuryuu.

"What is this!?" Alibaba questions.

"It's an ordinary netsumegusa root," Hakuryuu says with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The roots keep touching his cheek, making him lean away from it.

"Netsumegusa? You mean that herb of the pea family with ridiculously long roots? The kind often used as fragrant herbs?" Alibaba asks. I look at him weirdly. Why does he even know that?

"That's right. I brought its special characteristics to the limit, thanks to Zagan. I planted a seed of this herb in the cargo they stole. So, in other words, if we follow this root we will arrive at their hideout!" Hakuryuu grins.

"That's incredible!" Aladdin cheers along with Alibaba.

"Incredible so you can manipulate plants as much as you like?" Alibaba makes a face at him. "Zagan is frightening." He quietly adds.

"No. This is a combination move obtained by Zagan's power and my magoi manipulation ability. Zagan can only manipulate the plants that are in contact with my metal vessel and then I send Zagan's magic inside of the plant's seed, thanks to my manipulation ability. By doing that I'm able to manipulate the plant as long as the magoi I sent inside it doesn't run out," Hakuryuu explains.

"That's pretty impressive. Good job, Hakuryuu," I smile at him. He beams back at me, his rukh turning a little pink.

"We know where their hideout is now. Let's go to save those children immediately!" Hakuryuu turns to the guards.

"Yeah but since we don't know the ability of our enemies I cannot carelessly send the battleships which the King entrusted to me," The commander says.

"What?" Alibaba gasps at him in shock.

"You're saying those things again!" The people begin to shout from behind us. "Spill it out, Navy!"

"Spill it out?" Aladdin wonders.

"You would only go save them if they kidnapped children that were from nobles and the royal family, and yet you always act like it's fine when poor people like us suffer, right!? What kind of royal family is that!?" They scream. My eyes widen as the guards move forward to push them back.

"Shut your mouths!" The guards yell at them. "Say any more and it will be considered treason against the King of Aktia! We will throw you in jail!" Soon the guards board their ship again as they grow tired of the people.

"Hey, everyone, are you in a hurry for you journey?" Alibaba asks quietly.

"No," Morgiana and I say.

"Me neither," Aladdin smiles at Alibaba.

"I already know what you are going to say," Hakuryuu sighs a little.

"Yeah. Umm everyone," Alibaba speaks to the people. They turn to look at him. "We will save the children."

"Y-You guys!?"

"It's alright, we already repelled the pirate ship once!" Alibaba informs them.

"I knew Alibaba would say something like that," Aladdin whispers to himself as he continues to smile. He must be proud of Alibaba.

"Thank you so much." A few women walk up to Alibaba. "But, we were even abandoned by our country. Even if you help us we don't have any money."

"We don't need that!" Alibaba smiles at them. They all cry at his kind words. "Alright!" He turns to us. "Team Zagan, let's kick some ass one last time before we part!"

"Yeah!" Aladdin cheers, jumping up and down.

"Wait, Amir, don't you have to head back to Sindria?" Hakuryuu asks. I look at him in confusion.

"Why would I be doing that?" I ask him.

"Because you're the Prince?" He tilts his head, seeming just as confused.

"Hakuryuu, I'm going to Magnoshutatt with Aladdin. Weren't you told about that?" I frown at him. I guess I never really got the chance to tell him since I spent the last few days thinking about how Yam is my mother. I honestly thought my father would inform him since we would be on the same boat, but I guess not.

"What?" His confused look turns into a glare.

"I'm sorry I never got to tell you personally. The last few days in Sindria were hard for me. Did my father not tell you?"

"He said you were escorting us part of the way," His glare continues to harden. At this point I'm glaring right back at him before I sigh.

"I can't believe he did that," I mumble.

"Are you saying King Sinbad lied to me?" Hakuryuu asks. I nod slightly.

"Yes. It's probably his way of getting back at me for wanting to leave."

"Oh." Hakuryuu slowly drops his glare.

"Anyway," I turn to the captain. "Can we borrow your ship?"

"Of course. We have to take back our cargo, so use it as you like," He smiles at us.

"Alright everyone, climb onto my turban!" Aladdin says as he pulls it off his head. I hesitant to climb onto something I can't see but do it anyway. I hold onto the cloth tightly as we fly through the air. Soon the four of us drop to the ground, ready to fight.

"Now, how about kicking some ass!" Alibaba grins at us.

"Guh! These guys… they're the ones from before!" Olba exclaims.

"Give us the children!" Alibaba turns to the young pirate. "We will bring them back no matter what!"

"No. They are Aum Madaura's children already!" Olba yells at him. "Burol!" He raises his hand up. I notice movement behind him and my eyes widen slightly when I realize that they are about to attack us.

"It's useless! That weapon will not work against us!" Alibaba raises his blade.

"Heh. I wonder about that," Olba smirks as a giant ball of water shoots towards us. We all quickly scatter to avoid it.

"W-What!?" Alibaba gasps.

"You don't seem to understand. Once you enter this fortress you will never win against us!" Olba laughs as the pirates begin to shoot at us. We continue running, doing our best to avoid the magic.

"What's wrong? I thought you said this weapon wouldn't work against you?" A pirate snickers.

"What's the meaning of this? The size of the ball is completely different from when we fought against them on the ship!" Alibaba asks Aladdin. He doesn't get to answer him.

"Magic amplifying insect," The pirate from before says. "It's a magic tool that increases the power of the magic tool it's connected with. Didn't you even know about that? Guys from the East are really behind!" He laughs.

"Something like that really exists?" Alibaba shouts. Before long all of us are surrounded.

"Dammit!" Alibaba shouts when they prepare to send another giant ball at us.

"Har-Har Rasas!" Aladdin shouts. I watch as balls of fire fly towards the magic tools.

"What!?" The pirates cry out.

"That's great, Aladdin! We can win with this!" Alibaba grins widely but Olba cuts him off.

"Alon, Yon, Byouk! Jump!" Olba orders the three. They do so without hesitation. Olba uses his own magic tool to shoot those balls of water from before at them. It catches them all, allowing them to safely float inside of them.

"What?" Alibaba and Hakuryuu shout when they see they still had their magic tools with them.

"Don't give them room to run away!" Olba shouts. They quickly move to attack us, making us run in all directions again. We continue to dodge until they fly away into the holes in the walls.

"They went into that hole!?" Hakuryuu shouts. We all move back to the center of the clearing and stand back to back with one another.

"Where did they go?" Alibaba asks quietly after a minute of silence. "Did they run away?"

"Aladdin behind you!" Morgiana suddenly shouts. We all quickly turn to see. I cry out softly when Aladdin is hit from behind and I rush forward to check on him. Luckily his borg takes most of the damage.

"Dammit," Hakuryuu mutters as he stretches his arm out. Vines shoot from his finger tips and towards the holes. The pirates simply destroy them with their magic before hiding themselves within the holes again.

"Where are they coming from!?" Aladdin shouts, sounding a little panicked. Without a word, Morgiana runs forward. We all watch as she runs up the wall and into the hole. After that, all you could hear were the screams of the pirates and the cracking of the rock walls.

"Ahh!" The three boys beside me scream when the front side of the wall falls apart. I smirk a little at the sight. Morgiana is standing proudly with the pirates laying at her feet.

"I defeated them all," She declares.

"That was great, Morgiana!" Alibaba praises. I can't help but to laugh softly at the look on Hakuryuu's face. It seems her strength still freaks him out a bit.

"Let's lie them all up before they wake," I suggest. They quickly agree with me.

"We'll take all of these," Alibaba says as he gathers the magic tools. "In any case, what's wrong with these guys?" Alibaba turns to us with a confused frown. "Take off the scary masks and they're actually just kids!"

"I wonder if they are around the same age as Mor and Alibaba," Aladdin comments softly.

"What should we do, Olba!?" One of the pirates abruptly shouts.

"It's alright! Mother will come to help us for sure!" Olba assures her. I frown deeply at this.

"Mother?" Alibaba questions.

"Are you alright, my little children?" A loud voice seems to answer the children. We all quickly cover our ears at the loudness

"W-What's going on!?" Alibaba shouts over the voice.

"Mother! It's Mother's voice!" The pirates cheer.

"Nice to meet you intruding children," The woman says. "I'm the Mother of all miserable children in the world, Aum Madaura."

"What is this voice? Where's it coming from?" Alibaba asks. Aladdin quickly points towards a corner. I notice that there are two more pirates and a magic tool.

"I will save you right now," Aum Madaura says. "I will not forgive the enemy that hurt my children. I will drown them in the sea." As soon as she finishes speaking, the ground under us cracks and breaks away. We all cry out as we fall into the water below. I'm quick to notice that Morgiana is struggling and that Hakuryuu is swimming to her aid alongside Aladdin. "I cannot allow that," Aum Madaura says when we begin to swim towards the surface. "I will kill you by using the real form of Aum Madaura's fortress!" She laughs. My eyes widen and I completely freeze when I see it. A huge rock in the shape of some kind of fish is swimming towards us, it's mouth open wide with sharp teeth ready to tear into us.

"Magical tool, Roaring Wave Cannon," Aum Madaura says. All I can do is watch as ice shards speed towards me. I can't move. Why can't I move? Does the accident from all those years ago still affect me so much? I'm snapped out of my thoughts when someone grabs my wrist and pulls me out o the way. I look over to see Aladdin who looks very worried. I quickly get ahold of myself. I have to protect Aladdin when I need to. Aum Madaura begins to laugh as she orders the fortress to attack again. We continue to dodge the attacks but soon we start to grow tired. "Die!" She suddenly screams as a shard nears Hakuryuu who is holding an unconscious Morgiana. He closes his eyes tightly and holds Morgiana close to him. Alibaba throws himself in front of the two and his sword easily breaks the shard in two.

"How cunning. Heat magic, huh?" Aum Madaura chuckles lightly. "But heat magic won't work under water! The most you can do is try to melt the ice before your eyes with all your strength! You are nothing more than a powerless child!" I frown slightly when Alibaba and Aladdin try to use their heat magic under the water to stop the ice, but of course it doesn't work. "It's futile! Nothing will reach us here, no matter what you do!" She shouts as the fortress attacks yet again. I watch as Alibaba continues to fight. After a few useless attempts, Alibaba motions for us all to gather behind him.

"Die!" Aum Madaura screams, sending a wave of ice at us. Alibaba dodges the shard as he shoots forward as fast as he can towards the fortress. His sword connects and the wall cracks. It crumbles away, leaving a hole big enough for us to get inside. We all quickly swim towards it and climb out of the water.

"Are you alright, Mor?" Hakuryuu asks her as we all cough, gasping for air. He slowly releases her from his arms and his rukh turns a little pink.

"Y-Yes," She manages to say.

"We need to hurry." I stand up, narrowing my eyes as I look at the rukh inside the fortress. I spot one that seems much stronger than the others. "She's this way." We begin to make our way towards her, but we quickly run into some trouble. More pirates begin to attack us, but this time they are even younger than before. We easily make our way through them.

"Don't kill Mother!" They cry as we block their blades.

"She found us in the slums and took care of us after we were abandoned!" A young boy cries. My eyes widen slightly as I look at the children around us. They all start to drop their weapons as they crumble to the ground in tears.

"Don't kill her. Don't kill her!" Another one sobs. I quickly turn away from the sight, unable to look any longer.

"We need to keep moving," I say softly. Everyone silently agrees with me and we continue on our way.

"What's going on?" Alibaba sighs. "So, they are fighting for their mother? For the savior of their lives?"

"So, what? This story sounds fishy," Hakuryuu replies. "But, even if that is true, they are pirates. Did you see how they destroyed that port?"

"Y-Yeah, but what if they really don't understand a thing? If they were raised knowing how to fight since childhood."

"It doesn't matter if they don't understand it," I tell him, void of any emotion.

"Amir is right," Hakuryuu agrees before I can say anymore. "It's not a good enough reason for them to hurt people."

"But I also hurt a lot of people following the orders of the one who raised me," Morgiana says softly.

"Mor," Aladdin frowns as he worries over her. She just shakes her head, casting her eyes towards the ground.

"When I was a child, I always listened to what my mother said. It was the same for you, right?" Alibaba looks towards Hakuryuu.

"Who knows? My sister was like a Mother to me. So, I don't know what a real one is like," Hakuryuu says. Everyone is silent for a few moments, thinking quietly to themselves.

"I can understand how they feel," Aladdin speaks up with a weak smile.

"What do you mean?" I look at him in confusion.

"I used to feel lonely because I have no family. So, if a gentle Mother suddenly appeared I'm sure I would have been incredibly happy." Everyone looks at him with a sadness in their eyes, but he continues to smile as if nothing is wrong.

"The Great Holy Mother took advantage of that feeling and made those children fight," Alibaba frowns deeply. I flinch slightly at her name and frown. Why does that name sound so familiar?

"I will not forgive her," Morgiana says firmly. We all silently nod in agreement.

"Let's hurry," Hakuryuu says. We run the rest of the way there in silence. Soon we come to a large stone door. Alibaba quickly steps forward, throwing the doors open.

"Aum Madaura!" He screams at her. She simply smiles at him.

"You did well to arrive here. You are brave children. You are so strong that I admire you," She laughs softly at the end.

"Return the children and treasure you took from the city!" Alibaba demands "Or else," He quietly mutters.

"It's useless. You can't even attack me." We all watch in confusion as she raises her hand up. "Magic tool, Holy Mother Halo Fan!" My eyes widen and a bright light floods the room. I don't bother flinching away from the bright rukh. Aladdin's rukh is much brighter than this.

"W-What!?" Alibaba shouts. After a few more moments the light fades away. "Nothing happened?" I quickly look around, wondering what she did.

"Mother," I hear Morgiana whisper. I look at her to see her on her knees, staring at Aum Madaura.

"What are you saying, Morgiana?" Alibaba questions her.

"W-What am I saying? I… but… but," She struggles to speak. "She is my mother."

"What? Stop saying absurd things, Morgiana! This is obviously one of our enemies' tricks!" He shouts. I watch wide eyed as he begins to cry. "Don't let yourself be tricked by these strange things!" He reaches up, wiping at his face in confusion. "W-What? Tears!?" Aum Madaura chuckles softly.

"The love towards a Mother. That's my weapon," I look towards her, frowning deeply. Everyone seems to think that she is their mother. Why isn't it affecting me? "Inside every person lies that kind of love and from that nostalgia you absolutely cannot get away!"

"S-Stop," Alibaba struggles to raise his blade. She smiles softly at him and he freeze. A moment later his body relaxes and he stops fighting against the magic.

"Let them go!" I abruptly yell at her. She jumps in surprise.

"What?" She tilts her head a little.

"I said release them!" I raise my staff as I glare at her coldly. She begins to glare back at me.

"It seems that you are not a child," She mumbles softly to herself. We continue to have a stare off until her eyes widen. "You look like that man. Sinbad."

"You know my father?" She begins to laugh loudly at this.

"Of course, I know him! He ruined my life!" She screams at me. My eyes widen a little. "His stupid company took everything from me!"

"W-What do you mean?" I stutter slightly.

"What? You don't know?" She laughs again, as if this is beyond amusing to her. "Sinbad, your father, was my slave at one point." I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open at this. "His company took everything from me just to get him back." So this is why her name sounded so familiar. I think I remember Ja'far telling me this story when I was very young. Our conversation is cut short when Aladdin suddenly begins to move. He stumbles towards Alibaba looking a little dazed. Is he breaking the spell she put on him?

"Are you really fine with this, Alibaba?" He speaks, standing in front of Alibaba. After a few moments, Alibaba looks up towards him.

"Aladdin," He mumbles, a look of confusion appearing on his face.

"Alibaba that woman, isn't your mother, right?"

"I know. I know, but…"

"And even if she was your real mother, is it really okay for someone to be dictating your every move? We must live by ourselves." Both Aum Madaura and I continue to watch them in silence. Aum Madaura looks confident that Alibaba won't break free like Aladdin did.

"Are you fine with that?" Alibaba asks him weakly.

"I don't mind," Aladdin smiles at him. "The effects of this move is weaker on me because I've never really met my own mother. I'm fine being by myself because within my heart, there are many people. Ugo, Granny, those from the caravan, those from Sindria, and then you and Mor. I've met all kinds of people, their lives, their way of thinking. Isn't there something similar inside your heart as well? Didn't something remain inside you, when the people you met entrusted their feelings to you?" Alibaba just stares up at him with a dazed look.

"And you too, Mor," He turns to her. "Remember the important things you received from the others!" Morgiana jerks a little and seems to break the spell a little.

"No!" Aum Madaura shouts in a panic. "Listen to what your mother says!" I smirk at this. It's working. Both Morgiana and Alibaba slowly make their way to their feet. "How is this possible!? They're going against Mother's orders."

"I'm sorry Aladdin that you had to see such a bad side of me," Alibaba says.

"I will not be tricked again," Morgiana mumbles softly. Aladdin smiles at the both of them as they come over to us. I look to Hakuryuu, noticing that he is still in a trance.

"Hakuryuu!" I shout at him. "You have to break free from her control!" I go to step towards him, but Olba and the other pirates block my path.

"Defend Mother to the death!" Olba shouts. They all raise their swords and charge towards us.

"You guys still want to fight!?" Alibaba shouts in surprise. "Hurry up and open your eyes!" Soon they are coming at us from all sides and we're struggling to fight them off without seriously hurting them.

"Motherly love. Do you know who craves it the most?" Aum Madaura speaks. "Those who lost the chance to experience it during infancy! That's why I picked up these orphans that were abandoned by their mother's in the slums. You cannot erase the brainwashing I did on these children!" She begins to laugh.

"How cruel!" Morgiana glares at her.

"I leave the rest to you," Aum Madaura begins to walk towards Hakuryuu who is near the entrance.

"No way!" Alibaba shouts. "She's getting away, Hakuryuu! Stop her! Hakuryuu!" My eyes widen when he raises his hand towards us and the vines shoot towards Alibaba.

"Watch out!" I scream to Alibaba. He barely manages to block the attack and the force sends him flying back.

"Hakuryuu!?" Morgiana shouts. He slowly begins to raise his spear.

"I have to save my mother!" He shouts the end as he looks at us with cold eyes. My eyes go wide in disbelief. He can't break the spell?

"What are you talking about!?" Alibaba and Aladdin shout at him.

"Hakuryuu?" Morgiana frowns deeply at him when his sear begins to glow.

"Dwell in my body Zagan!" I watch wide eyed as he takes on his Djinn equip form.

"D-Djinn equip?" Alibaba shutters. Hakuryuu shoots forward and swings his spear down towards Alibaba. Alibaba barely manages to jump away from the attack that makes the ground crumble away.

"What are you doing, Hakuryuu!" Alibaba shouts at him again. "What happened!?"

"It seems that he is the only one to still be a child," Aum Madaura laughs from the entrance. "He's inside the Halo Fan's dream. Come, child, fight for your mother!" At her words, Hakuryuu once again attacks Alibaba. All I can do is helplessly watch the two of them fight. Soon Hakuryuu is summoning creatures out of thin air to overwhelm Alibaba.

"What!?" Alibaba shouts when they attack him. Aladdin lets out a small shout as one comes towards him. I quickly run forward, drawing my sword. I easily cut the monster in two and it slowly disappear back into thin air.

"Aladdin are you okay?" I look at him. He shakily nods at me. When I look back to Hakuryuu I notice that he's floating in the air and making some kind of circle with his spear.

"Zaug Aluazra!" Hakuryuu shouts. Larger monsters quickly begin to spill from the circle. I hold my ground in front of Aladdin and put a borg up when one comes at us. My eyes widen slightly when it manages to put a crack in it.

"Amol Saika!" Alibaba screams as he summons Amon's sword to bring the monster down. I nod my thanks to him before he runs forward to confront Hakuryuu. Alibaba raises his sword up to block the spear coming down on him. "It's useless, Hakuryuu! Amon's sword can even cut metal vessels!" Alibaba tells him. Hakuryuu doesn't reply as he continues to push his spear down onto Amon's sword. "It's not cutting it!?" Alibaba gasps after a minute.

"The surface of the spear!" Morgiana shouts, pointing towards it. I frown and look closer at his spear.

"Alibaba!" I shout when I realize what's going on. "He's using magoi manipulation again!" They both continue to fight without either of them gaining any ground. Soon Hakuryuu's magoi coating begins to weaken.

"He's at the limit of his magoi manipulation," Morgiana says.

"It was you who did that to my mother, wasn't it!?" Hakuryuu suddenly shouts when the blades meet again.

"What!?" Alibaba gasps. Seconds later, Amon's sword cuts the spear in two and Hakuryuu crumbles to the ground.

"Hakuryuu!" We all shout and run towards him. He lays motionless on the ground.

"What was he talking about?" Alibaba mumbles as he crouches beside him.

"I'm sure it was about that," Morgiana mumbles. "He said his mother was killed by Al Sarmen."

"Huh!?" Aladdin an Alibaba say. I frown deeply at this.

"Ah!" Aladdin jumps slightly. "This is bad, guys!" He points to the entrance door. Pirate stand in front of the door to block our path.

"The Great Holy Mother… where is she!?" Alibaba shouts.

"Alibaba." I look at him, my eyes going cold as ice. He gulps slightly.

"Y-Yes?" He stutters.

"Carry Hakuryuu. I'm done playing with these children," I step in front of everyone and raise my staff.

"O-Okay," Alibaba agrees with me and moves to pick Hakuryuu up.

"Thalg Thalgeyya!" I shout. Large dragons made of ice fly towards the pirates at speeds they could never handle. I watch silently as they are all taken down by my magic.

"Amir!" Aladdin shouts at me in anger. I look towards him.

"I'm not killing them," I state as I begin to walk towards the door. "Now let's go before she gets away."

 _ **Chapter 23**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"What will happen to these children?" Morgiana softly asks. By the time we made it out the navy had already captured the pirates and loaded them up on their boats to take back to the city. Now we are back at the city docks, waiting for them to decide what they are going to do with the remaining pirates.

"The navy is completing preparations for transporting them. They will probably be imprisoned," I answer her.

"Yes and after that… well," The captain of our boat looks towards the ground, unable to finish his sentence.

"But these guys… they're all small children," Alibaba says, staring at the sobbing children.

"Mother!" Olba and the other children begin to scream. "Don't go, Mother!"

"It's alright, my children," She smiles at them. The guards take her by the arms and begin to pull her towards the boat. From the corner of my eye I notice Hakuryuu stagger forward.

"Are you alright, Hakuryuu?" Morgiana asks him. He doesn't answer her.

"Kill her," More voices begin to shout over the crying children. "Kill that woman immediately!" We all look towards the cities people in shock.

"Kill her! She did terrible things! You don't have to transfer her!" A man yells at the navy guards. Soon they are all rushing the guards to get to Aum Madaura.

"H-Halt!" A guard shutters as he tries to push them back. It doesn't take long for the people to overpower the guards. They grab her by the hair, yanking as hard as they can as they restrain her. Soon all of the people are beating Aum Madaura as she cries out for mercy.

"This kind of thing!" Morgiana gasps.

"Stop them!" Alibaba screams at the guards. None of them make a move to step in. Slowly, Hakuryuu steps forward with a sword in hand.

"Hakuryuu?" I frown in confusion. He continues to walk towards Aum Madaura and the people back away from him as he points the sword at them.

"Ah! Child! You are such a good boy! You came here to help me!" Aum Madaura smiles up at him. Hakuryuu softly smiles in return before he raises the sword above his head. He swings the blade down, cutting her head clean off her shoulders, the soft smile never leaving his face. My eyes go wide as I watch her head roll away before it completely disappears from my vision. Hakuryuu walks towards the spot her head fell before bending over to pick it up.

"Hakuryuu!" Alibaba abruptly yells as he stomps forward. He grabs Hakuryuu by the collar of his shirt, yanking him towards him. "What the hell have you done!?"

"What are you asking?" Hakuryuu asks in a flat voice. "I executed the captain of the pirates. It was the only way to calm down these people. And the people of this town wanted it as well. We were sent to exterminate the pirates for the sake of the people of this city in the first place, right?" Alibaba remains silent, staring at Hakuryuu in shock. "But," Hakuryuu looks down slightly. "It's true that I got a little enthusiastic because of her magic. I still saw her as my own mother."

"You saw her as your Mother!? Then why did you do that!?" Alibaba snaps out of his silence.

"That was the reason. I remembered," Hakuryuu yanks his shirt from Alibaba's hand and takes a few steps away. "My mission was to kill the Al Sarmen witch who took up with my uncle and usurped the Kou Empire. To kill my own mother."

"That's enough!" I shout at the two when Alibaba makes a move to scream at Hakuryuu again. Both look at me in surprise as I walk up to them calmly. I grab both of them by the wrist and yank them down to my height. "We can't talk about this here. Not around all these people," I hiss softly to them. With that, I pull them from the crowd and towards a secluded area. Morgiana and Aladdin are quick to follow us.

"Now explain this to us, Hakuryuu," Alibaba demands. Hakuryuu sighs softly and leans against the wall.

"Ren Gokuen, the witch from Al Sarmen who took up with the stupid, gullible Kou Prince in order to manipulate the Kou Empire. She was a woman who resembled The Great Holy Mother a lot. She cares nothing about her children. That kind of woman must not live," Hakuryuu explains to us in a soft tone.

"That's why you killed the Great Holy Mother, huh," Alibaba says, anger clear in his voice.

"Even if I hadn't done anything, she would have been executed anyway."

"That could be the case but didn't you do it because of a personal grudge of yours!?" Alibaba begins to shout again. Hakuryuu doesn't get the chance to respond. Olba breaks the ropes around his wrists and steals a knife from a guard. His eyes lock onto Hakuryuu and he bolts towards us.

"Olba!?" The other children shout. Olba doesn't look back to them. He reaches us and moves to stab Hakuryuu, but Hakuryuu simply catches his hand.

"I'll kill you," Olba glares up at Hakuryuu. "You… you killed Mother!" Hakuryuu shakes his head before back handing the small boy. Olba falls back onto the ground with a sharp cry of pain, his blade falling from his grasp.

"How many people did you kill in this city?" Hakuryuu asks him coldly. "There were even women among them, right? Weren't they the mothers of someone else? What about their children!? And only after your own mother's death do you behave like that!? Aren't you thinking about things too conveniently!?" Olba doesn't respond to him, unable to find any words. "Also you've vaguely realized it already, right? You already know the Great Holy Mother was just using you."

"Hakuryuu," I step forward to grab his hand, but he pushes me away from him.

"Because The Great Holy Mother commanded you to kidnap even more children, right?" He continues without batting an eye. "That was in order to create new pirates. You should know this already. You should have noticed. There is no reason to be sad. You all, from the beginning, were not loved."

"Hakuryuu!" Alibaba shouts, rushing up to him. Hakuryuu glares at Alibaba before storming off. We don't get a chance to go after him thanks to the guards. They quickly gather Olba and tie him back up with the other children.

"Hurry up and move, you damn brats!" One guard screams. "We're moving out. You'll go to meet your execution, or you will be sold as slaves." My eyes go wide when I notice the rukh around the children. It's turning black. Aladdin softly gasps when he notices it. He quickly steps forward, his staff raised to put a stop to this.

"Wait, please," Aladdin freezes at Alibaba's voice. Alibaba calmly walks up to the guards and holds his hand out. "Could you hand those pirates over to us?"

"What? It is true that you cooperated with us in the capture of these pirates, but aren't you going beyond your authority when you interfere with how criminals from Aktia should be judged!?"

"No, my country has half of the responsibility of these pirates," Alibaba says. My eyes widen a little when I realize what he is planning.

"Responsibility, you say?" The captain asks him.

"Yes. The Great Holy Mother acted on a trade route that went between Sindria and Aktia, so as members of Sindria Kingdom, we cannot ignore this. However, regarding all future damage caused by pirates on the maritime commercial routes between our countries, if Aktia prefers to cope with them alone and give us reparations, we will convey this principle to his majesty the King of Sindria," Alibaba says confidently. I smirk a little as I watch the guards become flustered.

"T-That's…" The captain trails off and turns around to quietly talk to his men. Soon he turns back to us. "We cannot agree to that without knowing that you are indeed from Sindria."

"Captain," I step forward.

"What is it boy?" He glares at me. I keep my face straight as I look him in the eye.

"As the Prince of Sindria, I'm sure that I alone am enough proof that we are from Sindria," I state. His eyes go wide in what is most likely disbelief.

"T-The Prince?" He stutters, a look of panic crossing his face. "F-Fine, we'll give the remaining pirates to you but we will confiscate all their magic tools!" He points at me as he shouts. He quickly turns and walks away from us. I shake my head at his behavior before turning to look at the children.

"You guys handle this. I'm going to go after Hakuryuu. Hopefully he has calmed down now," I say, walking in the direction of his rukh. I sigh softly to myself. What am I even going to say to Hakuryuu? He isn't the same person anymore. He has changed so much in the little time that I've known him. Hakuryuu isn't the boy I grew to like anymore.

"Hakuryuu!" I call for him when I finally spot his rukh. He freezes mid-step before slowly turning to look at me. I quickly jog up to him before he turns to leave again. "Um. Are you okay?" I ask him, slowly taking his hand in mine. His eyes grow colder and he yanks his hand away.

"Of course, I'm not okay!" He shouts at me and all I can do is stare wide eyed at him. "How could I possibly be okay!?"

"I-I…" I look towards the ground unable to look at his cold eyes any longer. After a few moments he sighs deeply.

"Amir, just go back to Aladdin," He orders. "Stop trying to act like you care about me and just go." I look up at him in shock.

"I'm not acting! I do care about you. That's why I'm here. I want to understand why you're so upset and I want to help you," I look up at him, slightly hurt by his words. He merely scoffs at me, shaking his head.

"Not the way I cared about you. You love Aladdin, and I can see that your feelings aren't going to change."

"Is this really why you're acting like this?" I begin to glare at him. He shrugs before looking away.

"I have a lot on my mind and knowing you don't return my feelings doesn't help anything…" Hakuryuu trails off in a sad tone, his shoulders sagging slightly. "But," He straightens himself back up as nothing happened. "I'm over you."

"Over me?" I question.

"Yes," His face twists into a cruel smirk. "In fact, I don't think I ever even liked you. The way I feel for Morgiana is much stronger than anything I ever felt for you." My mouth opens but nothing comes out and my shocked stare turns into a glare.

"I see," I mumble. "That's fine. Like you said, I never stopped loving Aladdin and I never will. Goodbye, Hakuryuu," I turn to leave without another word. He doesn't respond, but why would he? He simply doesn't care. I look down to the ground, hot tears filling my eyes. I can't believe I actually wanted to love him. To be with him.

~Later That Day~

"Good evening, and welcome to our inn," The inn keeper cheerfully greets us.

"Room for four," Alibaba tells him. Alibaba, Aladdin, Morgiana, and I decided to stay in Akita for the night since we will go be going our separate ways tomorrow. Aladdin slowly scoots closer to Alibaba and begins to whisper to him.

"It seems that Mor and Amir aren't in good spirits," Aladdin says so softly that I could barely hear it.

"Yeah. Hakuryuu suddenly left after showing us that unpleasant thing." Alibaba frowns deeply before walking up to Morgiana with a bright smile. "Well, let's go eat and be merry! We still have a lot of money left from what they gave us after conquering Zagan's dungeon!"

"Yeah!" Aladdin happily agrees with him and skips over to me. He grabs my arm and grins up at me. "Let's go!" I sigh tiredly, but nod in agreement anyway. I don't want to ruin his fun, especially since I know they are trying to cheer us up. We are quickly seated and soon served our food.

"Mor, Amir, are you sure you two are alright? You guys haven't eaten anything until now." Aladdin looks at her worryingly. I just nod and continue to pick at my food. I can't bring myself to eat it, not when there are so many strangers around to see me fumble around looking for it.

"What's wrong Morgiana? Your strong point is your physical strength, so if you don't eat to your heart's content it won't be good for you, so here!" Alibaba shoves a fish in her face.

"No. I'll be fine." She pushes it away.

"Ah, if you say that then I will end up eating this delicious little fish," Alibaba continues to pester her with the fish. With every second Morgiana looks more annoyed. It doesn't take long for her to give in and eat the fish he continues to throw her way.

"Are you satisfied now?" She grumbles through her food. Both Aladdin and I just stare at them weirdly.

"You're great Morgiana!" Alibaba says gleefully.

"The four of us will have to wait a long time before being able to do something like this again," Aladdin suddenly speaks up, gaining all of our attention. "Tomorrow Amir and I take the land route towards Magnoshutatt. You two will travel to the Laem Empire, right?"

"Yes, but we will be taking different ships," Morgiana says. "Alibaba's destination, Laem Empire's capital Remano, is on the North-Western part of the Laem continent. To reach my destination, the region of Katalgo, I have to go through the Southern province of Laem Empire."

"I see. So we will all go on separate ways," Aladdin says.

"But we will meet again soon!" Alibaba nearly shouts with a bright smile. "I intend to return in no longer than a year."

"Me too," Morgiana quickly nods in agreement. "As soon as I see my home village, I will go back to Sindria." Aladdin looks down with a sad smile.

"I will probably take much longer. There are a lot of things I want to learn."

"I will also take longer. I intend to stay with Aladdin until he is ready to leave," I say softly.

"Now don't you two dare stay there and never come back!" Alibaba shouts in worry.

"It's alright!" Aladdin laughs softly. "We are tied by destiny. We will meet again for sure!" Alibaba nods slowly and a grin makes its way onto his face once again.

"Let's make a promise," Alibaba holds his hand out.

"Yeah!" Both Aladdin and Morgiana agree as they stretch their hands out.

"You too Amir," Alibaba grins at me. I look at him in shock before slowly reaching my hand out towards theirs. All three of them smile at me and I can't help but to smile back at them.

"We will surely meet again and in one piece!" After that we spent the rest of the night having as much fun together as we could. We ate, we sang, and we danced. We had the time of our lives together knowing it would be a long time before it could happen again.

 _ **Chapter 24**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I silently glare at the back of Aladdin and Alibaba's heads. I can't believe they went to such a vile place last night and leaving Morgiana and I alone for the remainder of the night.

"Next time we meet, I will be so strong that you will be surprised!" Alibaba grins widely.

"Yeah, me too!" Aladdin replies. Morgiana quickly steps forward, not wanting to be left out again.

"Then I will become even stronger that I will not lose to you," She stats, completely serious.

"Well, the objective of your journey isn't to become stronger, is it?" Alibaba looks at her, clearly confused. Aladdin chuckles softly at them before grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. I look at him, wondering why he pulled me so close. My eyes go wide when he pulls his turban off and pulls me onto it. I quickly latch onto him in fear.

"Goodbye Alibaba, Mor! We will meet again!" Aladdin waves goodbye to them.

"Y-You didn't say we would be flying," I stutter softly. Aladdin just laughs at me. After a few hours of me clinging to him, Aladdin's stomach begins to growl.

"Urgh," He groans, holding his stomach. "I'm so hungry. I can't travel in the sky all the time after all. I can't rest or sleep this way."

"Well we could ask to ride with those people," I shakily let go of his arm with one hand to point towards the rukh of a group of people.

"Perfect!" He quickly speeds us to the group and lowers us to the ground. We both easily land on our feet. "Hello! I'm Aladdin, a traveler! Oh, and this is Amir! He's a umm… traveler too!" The group doesn't respond, probably too shocked. "Right now, I'm traveling North, but I've become a little tired. Would you let us ride in one of your carriages?"

"Who the hell are these dirty brats!?" One finally yells. "Go away! This is a really high-level passenger car. Even now, I'm carrying some really important people! Anyway, do you have money? Eh?" I raise my eye brow at the man, completely unimpressed.

"I have money," Aladdin pulls what I'm guessing is a bag out. "Look," He stretches his arms out to the man. The man peers over, looking into the bag before he gasps. He quickly snatches the bag from Aladdin and rushes to the carriage.

"Um Master, could I make these two children ride together with you?" He practically begs. The nameless man turns back to us after his master waved him on. "You have permission. But you have to promise me something! You must absolutely not meddle with the Master and the others inside the carriage, is that clear!? They are so incredibly important people that you cannot even imagine, alright!?" I just roll my eyes and let Aladdin continue do the talking. I suppose I shouldn't tell people that I am a Prince while we're on the road. Soon Aladdin is dragging me into the carriage.

"We should rest while we can," I say softly to him. He just nods and begins to go through his bag. I sigh softly before leaning back against the wall for a nap. My nap doesn't last long before people begin to shout again.

"W-Who are you!?" The man from before screams.

"Well thieves, obviously," A new voice replies. "I will not tell you to quietly do as we say because we follow the principle of killing our hostages after we take their money no matter how much they scream."

"Kill them!" The man orders. Aladdin quickly bolts from the carriage and I follow him without a moment's hesitation.

"What kind of weapon is that!?" A guard shouts. I quickly look towards the thieves. All of them are holding magic tools. Aladdin springs in front of the man who took his money.

"Stay back, Grandpa! Let me handle this!" Aladdin pulls his staff out.

"Stop, you idiot! A brat like you cannot possibly…" He trails off when he sees Aladdin's staff begin to glow.

"It's alright!" Aladdin grins at him. "Har-Har!" Aladdin is cut off when a giant sword flies over his head. I stare wide eyed at it. If I can see it then there must be rukh in it. So, the important person is a metal vessel user?

"What the hell is all this noise?" The young man speaks. "Are you trying to ruin the mood of my long-awaited journey? Maybe I should execute all these old men, what do you say?" A smile creeps onto his face.

"Wha!?" A thief shouts and begins to rush towards the boy. "You brat, how dare you!" The boy simply watches the large man run at him. He smiles happily before ducking under the man and placing his sword between his legs. He swings his blade up and it easily cuts the man in two.

"Ahaha!" The boy laughs. We all watch in shock as the boy continues to slaughter the thieves. He even goes as far as to use his metal vessel, Nyoi Rentou.

"Who is he!?" Aladdin questions.

"Y-You probably will not recognize him even if I tell you his name, but he is.. Kou Empire's Prince, Ren Kouha!"

"Ren!?" Aladdin shouts. I narrow my eyes at the boy who is now surrounded by bodies. He's a Prince from the Kou Empire just like Hakuryuu.

"So?" Prince Kouha speaks when we are back on the carriage. "Who are these dirty little brats?" I'm quick to glare at him. I can't stand the thought of a Prince from Kou speaking to me in this manner.

"They are the people who have been traveling with us for a little while now, Kouha-sama," A woman speaks.

"Heheh, I don't care, but what happened to your arm?" He asks Aladdin. I glance at him, noticing that he is wrapping his forearms. He must be hiding those magic tools.

"Ah, they grazed me with one of their attacks."

"Heheh, take care."

"That's why we said the land route is dangerous and advised you to go by carpet," The woman from before says as she cares for the Prince.

"Don't want to. I really hate riding that thing. It dries my skin out and gets my clothes dirty. A carpet ride all the way to Magnoshutatt is no joke!" All I can do is stare at him. Did he really just say that.?

"Magnoshutatt?" Aladdin asks himself softly. The Prince suddenly stiffens before backhanding the woman who was caring for him. My eyes go wide as he continues to hit her.

"Hey! Be careful where you wipe! I really like this attire!" He yells at her.

"E-Excuse me," Aladdin quickly intervenes. "Did you say Magnoshutatt?" The Prince looks at him and continues to hit the woman. I frown slightly when the woman begins to enjoy it and the other two behind him become jealous. Why are they acting this way?

"Yes. We are going to Magnoshutatt. We have some business there."

"Really!? That's where we're going too!" Aladdin grins.

"Heh, you too?" The Prince sits back down and makes himself comfortable. "But right now, in that country, only special exceptions like me and magic users can enter. Did you know that? They say the number of people in the country is limited in order to completely manage the nation."

"Don't worry! Both of us are magicians even if we don't look like it! That's why we're going there: in order to study in their school!"

"I see. You're transfer students. Do your best!" The Prince smiles at Aladdin and I.

"Master!" The man Aladdin called grandpa says. "We will arrive at the capital in another nine days!"

"Eh! It will take so much time! Hey kid, I have a lot of free time now. Do you have some kind of artistic skill to entertain me?" The Prince asks Aladdin. I just roll my eyes and scoot away from them. This is going to be a long trip.

~Nine Days Later~

"Have we finally arrived?" The Prince asks when the carriage comes to a stop. We all quickly step out of the carriage, eager to stretch our legs.

"Where is Magnoshutatt?" Aladdin asks as he looks around.

"You idiot, this is just the checking station at the country's border. The Academy is still far from here," The old man says to him. My eye twitches in anger but I keep my mouth shut. The past nine days I've hardly spoken at all. I knew if I did then I would just regret it later.

"See you then, Aladdin. I have someone that will come to pick me up here," Kouha begins to walk away. "Good luck with your Country Entrance Examination. The gate to magician inspection is that way," He points us in the right direction. Aladdin waves goodbye to him before he grabs my arm to drag me along with him. We soon get in line and wait for our turn. It seems that all we have to do is put up a borg to protect ourselves. I nervously watch as Aladdin steps forward. Hopefully the magic tool Mother gave him with work. Aladdin puts his borg up as a large man swings something down at him. His borg easily fends the attack off, but the rukh begins to flutter around us.

"What!?" The magician watching us exclaims. "They suddenly went noisy but nothing happened. Maybe it was just my imagination?" He looks back to Aladdin who is silently freaking out. "Okay, next!" He waves him on. Aladdin walks through the gate and turns to watch me. I easily make it through.

"Whew. That went well." I nod in agreement. Soon we are taking our placement tests.

"You're totally inept, Sixth Kodor," The old man tells Aladdin. Aladdin looks around in confusion.

"Weird. Can I try again, grandpa?" He asks the old man. I frown a little at this.

"What a boldfaced transfer student," The old man grumbles. Aladdin walks back to the magic circle and raises his staff.

"Har-Har Infigar!" He shouts. Nothing but a small flame appears and my frown deepens. It seems Aladdin can't truly use his magic without help from the rukh.

"Sixth Kodor," The old man repeats and hands Aladdin a few items.

"You suck, little brat," A boy about my age or older laughs as he walks up to us. I glare coldly at him and he quickly walks away without another word.

"Hurry it up, brat!" The old man yells at me. I sigh as I walk towards the magic circle and perform a spell. "Third Kodor!" The old man shouts, sounding pleased with me. He hands me two items; one being some kind of metal and the other a piece of paper.

"Well then, we will now enter the Academic City, follow me!" A magician shouts before Aladdin and I can speak. We quickly make our way to him. "The Academic City is surrounded by a strong barrier so you cannot enter or exit unless you use the designated gateways. Once you enter, you cannot leave unless you have permission, so bear that in mind."

"Uwhaah!" Aladdin explains as we pass through the gateway. I look around wide eyed, surprised at how much I can see here.

"Magic, magic, this town is full of magic users!?" Another student shouts.

"What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and enter," The magician orders us. "From now on you are enrolled in the glorious Magnoshutatt Academy's third term of the academic year! We quickly make our way through.

"So where should we go?" Aladdin questions himself, looking at the paper in his hand. "The Maref will be tomorrow morning, so recently enrolled students should go to the campus dormitory and rest," He reads off. "I see. We will have classes starting tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it!" Aladdin exclaims and looks to me with a wide smile. I can't help but to smile back at him as he continues to drag me through the halls. We somehow ended up sharing a room, probably because we enrolled at the same time.

"This is our room," He grins, swinging the door wide open. Moments later he begins to cough, waving his hands in front of his face to clear the air. I scrunch my nose up a little as the smoke reaches me.

"What?" A young man sitting down says. I narrow my eyes at him, noticing the slightly familiar rukh.

"Ah!" Aladdin says. "You are the guy from before!" I sigh tiredly as Aladdin happily bounces over to the man who insulted him before. "We're in the same room. Nice to meet you! I'm Aladdin!"

"Ha, I don't intend to become friends with a Sixth Kodor. Don't try to talk to me," He says, trying to sound as cool as possible.

"Sphintus, right?" Aladdin asks, leaning over to see what's in the young man's hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"Don't look at other people's things!" Sphintus yells at him. I quietly make my way over to Aladdin and sit beside him, glaring at Sphintus who barely even glances at me. "Ha, you should hurry up and drop out already!"

"D-Drop out!?" Aladdin gasps.

"It seems you don't know about that huh," Sphintus smirks at him. "In this place they make you take a magic exam called Iktiyar once every two months and if you fail it, it's drop out for you." Sphintus suddenly leaps forward, taking Aladdin's paper from his hand. "Hey, what's wrong with your Maref schedule!? It's full of body strengthening maref!"

"Body strengthening maref?" Aladdin tilts his head in confusion. Sphintus just nods with a smirk before turning to look at me.

"And who are you?" He crosses his arms. I continue to glare at him, debating if I should give my real name or not. I don't really see the harm in it if I do. After all, we aren't traveling by ourselves anymore.

"I'm Amir, Prince of Sindria," I introduce myself formally. He stares at me for a long minute before he begins to laugh.

"No, seriously! Who are you buddy?" He chuckles. I just look at him dully.

"Why would I joke about my name and title?" He immediately stops laughing at my serious tone.

"A-Are you for real?" He looks to Aladdin, as if asking for confirmation. Aladdin simply grins and nods.

"Aladdin," I look to him. I don't intend to sit here talking to this boy all night. "Where is my bed?"

"Oh! Right!" Aladdin hops up and takes my hand in his. I let him guide me to the place I will be sleeping for the remainder of our stay here.

"So, is he your servant or something?" Sphintus asks as Aladdin shows me where everything is. I turn to him with an irritated look.

"Of course not. Aladdin is my dearest friend."

"Then why are you making him lead you around like that?" Sphintus smirks. I just roll my eyes and ignore him. Aladdin seemed to have a different plan though.

"Amir is blind," He states with a small smile.

"Huh?" Is his great reply. My irritated glare turns to Aladdin now, but he just continues to smile innocently at me.

"It's as he said. I'm blind. That's why he is showing me where everything is. Now enough questions about me," I say firmly.

"Hmm," Sphintus hums thoughtfully. "What Kodor are you in, Prince Amir?" I glare daggers at him. He completely ignored what I just said.

"Amir is in the Third Kodor!" Aladdin grins, answering for me. Sphintus suddenly begins to choke on something, probably the thing that caused the smoke from earlier.

"Third!?" He exclaims in shock. I just smirk at him.

 _~~Six Months Later~~_

During the last six months many things have changed. To start off I was moved to a different room with a new roommate right after Aladdin passed the Iktiyar. Because of that I hardly ever see him now. At first, we would meet up as often as we could, but as time passed he stopped showing up. Sometimes I would see his rukh mixed with the rest of his friends in the dining hall. He always seems so happy to be with them that I can't make myself go up to them. I don't want to take him away from his new friends, not when he's so happy with them.

It's been rough ever since we got here and being separated from Aladdin only made it worse. Studying was nearly impossible for me since the school wasn't equipped for a blind student. When I had to switch rooms, I figured I would be forced to drop from the Academy since I wouldn't be able to study at all without Aladdin's help, but my roommate actually saved me from that. His name is Qamar. At first, he didn't want anything to do with me because he heard I was a Prince. I suppose he thought I was going to be rude to him like the other students, but he soon realized I wasn't going to act like that to him. Now he hardly ever leaves my side. He says he worries about me walking around on my own since I'm blind. When I told him how I could see the rukh his opinion on the matter didn't change at all.

"Amir?" Qamar asks, breaking my train of thought. "You're staring at him again." I quickly look away from Aladdin, a light blush forming on my cheeks. I didn't even realize I was watching his rukh. I've been doing that a lot lately.

"S-Sorry," I mumble. "What were you saying?" He chuckles softly at me.

"I was talking about how we are First Kodor now, but we can talk about that later. Let's talk about Aladdin," He says, sounding a little sad towards the end. Qamar always has this sad tone when one of us brings Aladdin up.

"I don't want to talk about him," I say firmly.

"Whys that?" I just shake my head before I stand up to leave the dining hall. Qamar scrambles to grab his things and follow me.

"Hey, don't leave me behind," He whines softly when he catches up. I crack a small smile at him, which instantly brightens him up. He always looks happy when I smile at him. "So, are you going to talk to him?"

"I…" I stop walking, frowning slightly. "I want to but he looks so happy without me." Qamar sighs softly.

"If you love him like you said then you should confront him. If you don't then nothing will ever change," He says, walking away. I silently watch him walk away from me. I know he's right, but how do I even approach him at this point? We haven't talked in four months. It's like he's completely forgotten about me. I shake my head before I continue back to my room to talk with Qamar.

"Qamar?" I ask as I enter the room. He hums in response.

"Why do you always want me to talk about Aladdin when it clearly upsets you to talk about him?" I question, sitting next to him. He stiffens slightly, startled by my question.

"I just don't like him," He answers after a minute of thinking.

"You don't even know him though," I say, tilting my head a little.

"You're right," He sits up straight to look me in the eye. "I don't know him, but I do know how much he's hurt you. I hate how miserable you always look because of him. You deserve better." I look down, thinking about what he said.

"Maybe you're right but I still love him. I don't care that he never realized I have feelings for him. It's my fault for never telling him after all. I can't be mad at him for that and I definitely can't hate him."

"Amir…" He trails off and shakily grabs my hand. I look at him in confusion. "Go talk to him and if he breaks your heart again remember that I'm here and that I'm waiting for you." My eyes widen a little in shock.

"I-I will," I smile at him. "Thank you, Qamar."

 _ **Chapter 25**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I bite my lip, nervously chewing on it as I stare towards the spot I know Aladdin's door sits. I told Qamar I would talk to him but after all this time it seems nearly impossible. I sigh softly before taking a deep breath, readying myself. I hesitantly make my way towards the door and knock on it.

"Hello?" Aladdin answers softly, opening the door. His eyes widen slightly when he sees me. "Amir?"

"H-Hey Aladdin," I smile nervously at him.

"What are you doing here? It's pretty late."

"I needed to see you, to talk to you," I whisper, looking away in embarrassment. When did I become like this? I never used to get embarrassed like this.

"Yeah. Okay," He smiles faintly as he shuts the door behind him. "Where to?" I look at him in shock. I honestly didn't think he would want to talk.

"Umm. We can go to the old court yard. No one ever goes there anymore."

"Okay, lead the way," He nods, and so I did. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asks once we sit down in the grass of the court yard. This would be just like old times if it wasn't so awkward.

"I-I wanted to talk about us," I mumble, unable to look at him. "About how we never talk anymore."

"Oh," He says, sounding slightly sad. "It has been awhile, hasn't it?" I just nod in agreement, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" I look at him, confused.

"I'm sorry I stopped showing up to meet you. I just… I got wrapped up in this new life," He tries to explain.

"I'm sorry too," I smile faintly at him. "I shouldn't have given up on us hanging out like I did."

"Does this mean we're still friends?" He asks hopefully.

"Aladdin you will always be my friend, my dearest friend," I grin at him. He is quick to grin back and launch himself forward to hug me. I yelp slightly at the sudden action, falling back into the grass with him wrapped around me. I chuckle, hugging him back tightly. I missed this. I missed my Aladdin.

"You're too forgiving," He giggles softly, hugging me even tighter. "But thank you for not completely giving up on being friends."

"Aladdin," I speak up after a minute of silence. He releases me from his hug, sitting back onto the grass. I also sit up, looking at him nervously. "There was something else I need to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago." He tilts his head slightly.

"What is it?" He asks, sounding worried. I quickly look down, hoping to hide my face when I feel it begin to heat up.

"I-I don't really know how to say this," I mumble. I jump when he places his hand over mine.

"Just say it Amir," He smiles at me. "You'll always be my friend, no matter what it is you need to tell me." I slowly look at him, calming down when I look at his rukh. It's amazing how it still affects me, how it can still make me feel so calm and relaxed.

"Aladdin, I really like you," I whisper softly, never looking away from his rukh. He chuckles softly at me.

"I like you too, Amir. You know this." I shake my head slightly.

"I don't like you as a friend. Aladdin, you are so much more than just a friend to me. You have always been more than a friend." My cheeks quickly grow hot again, but this time I don't hide my face from him. He stares at me wide eyed, lips slightly parted in shock.

"You mean like… like?" He questions nervously after a moment. I nod slightly. "Amir, I-" I cut him off before he can say anything else.

"Aladdin you don't have to share the same feelings I do," I smile at him softly. "I know this is probably very strange for you to hear and that you don't know what to think of this, but I just needed you to know."

"You're right. I don't know what to think," He frowns slightly. "I never thought about this before."

"That's okay, Aladdin," I gently squeeze his hand reassuringly.

"But I'm sorry that I never noticed how you felt about me before."

"Don't be," I firmly tell him. "It's my fault for never telling you, so don't be sorry." He slowly nods, still frowning a little.

"I don't know how I feel about you. I know what I'm feeling is different than what I do for Alibaba, Morg, or Sphintus, but I don't know what it is." He looks away from me, seeming lost in thought. I stay silent, letting him mull over this new information. "Amir," He suddenly speaks after about ten minutes.

"Yeah?" I look to him, meeting his serious gaze.

"I've hurt you a lot, haven't I? Please tell me the truth." I gulp slightly, but nod.

"Yes, but I forgave you long ago. I couldn't possibly be mad at you."

"Why would you forgive me though?" He frowns deeply, seeming very upset with himself. "I never noticed how you cared for me and… and…"

"Aladdin," I gently pull him into my arms. "It's okay. I promise."

"B-But how is it okay? Why would you forgive me?" He whimpers slightly.

"Because I love you," I reply without hesitation. "I love you too much to stay mad at you." He looks up at me, his eyes wide. Slowly, he begins to smile softly.

"Thank you," He whispers.

"For what?" I tilt my head slightly, a habit I picked up from watching him.

"For loving me," He grins before softly kissing me on the cheek. My eyes go wide and all I can do is stare at him. He stands up, laughing softly at me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Amir," With that he walks away, leaving me too stunned to move.

After a few more minutes of sitting in the grass I finally decide it's time to head back to my room. When I finally make it back I hesitate at the door. Qamar… what do I tell him? He said he would be waiting for me if Aladdin didn't accept my feelings. I don't want to hurt him.

"Amir?" I hear from inside the room. I stiffen before slowly entering the room. "You're finally back," Qamar states, looking up from what I'm guessing is a book.

"Yeah," I nod, sitting on my bed.

"How did it go?" He puts his book down, giving me all his attention.

"It went pretty good. I think he accepted me," I smile faintly at him. He instantly begins to frown, but quickly covers it with a smile.

"That's good. I'm happy for you," His smile becomes tight as he strains to keep it. Now it's my turn to frown at him.

"You don't have to lie to me. Your rukh tells me the truth." He sighs deeply, nodding.

"I forget about that."

"I'm sorry," I mumble, looking down towards my lap. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know," He walks over to me, sitting shoulder to shoulder with me. "Just know I'm not upset with you. I know how much you love Aladdin and I accepted that a while ago." Slowly I reach over, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it gently.

"Let's talk about something else," I say softly. Talking about Aladdin anymore would just make him depressed and I can't stand seeing him like that. When we first met he was always in a foul mood. He never smiled, laughed, or acted like the goof he really is. I'm glad that I managed to help him through that, though it certainly wasn't easy.

"About what?" He hums, tracing patterns on my hand. It's a cute habit of his. He barely even notices when he does it.

"You," I smile at him. He looks at me in confusion.

"What about me?"

"Something about your life before Magnoshutatt. I don't really know anything about your past now that I think about it," I frown. "I want to know more." He stares at me for a long while before sighing deeply.

"If I tell you this then you have to promise to never say a word about it to anyone. Not even Aladdin," He says firmly.

"Okay, I promise," I smile at him.

"I'm putting all my trust in you, Amir. So…" He trails off, his frown deepening.

"Qamar I wouldn't ever tell anyone something you wanted to stay a secret. You can trust me," I reassure him. He nods slightly.

"I know. It's just something I've never talked about," He mumbles. "I once had a life very similar to your own but I ran away from it all." I tilt my head slightly, patiently waiting for him to continue. "I was a Prince, just like you are." My eyes widen slightly.

"A Prince but…?" I trail off, confused. He chuckles softly at me.

"I'm the younger brother of the King of Kina," He states. My eyes go even wider.

"W-What?" I continue to stare at him while he smiles in amusement. "You're the lost Prince? But I thought the Prince was declared dead?"

"They declared me dead because they could never find me," He shrugs.

"Why would you run away from that?"

"It just… it wasn't the life I wanted." He looks away. I just nod slowly in understanding. After all, being a Prince isn't as great as it sounds. "My elder brother always ignored me and our parents died when I was very young. The only people I knew were the servants that raised me and they weren't the most pleasant people around. They never let me do anything fun. They never even let me practice magic. Instead they made me study constantly, preparing me to be a perfect Prince for Kina. I despise my brother and the servants for forcing me to live that way. So, I left the first chance I got. I wondered country to country for a few years before I found Magnoshutatt," He explains to me with a solemn look on his face. Moments later he sniffles softly and begins to rub at his eyes. My eyes go wide and I silently begin to panic. He's crying.

"Qamar," I pull him into my arms, holding him tightly. He quickly wraps his arms around me, burying his face into my shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You didn't deserve it but you're here now. You're living a life you created for yourself. One where you can truly be happy," I say as I rub his back while he cries softly. We stay like that late into the night before he finally falls asleep. Being as gentle as I can I try to unwrap his arms from me. He immediately begins to frown and whimper in his sleep. I sigh softly. He's not going to let go anytime soon. Slowly, I move us until we are laying down. He relaxes once again, peacefully sleeping.

"Rest well, Qamar," I whisper softly to him.

 _~~The Following Day~~_

"Well then, I will announce who is the best student," An older man speaks. "The top seat of the first academic year course is." Everyone is quick to turn to Aladdin, ready to congratulate him. "Is Titus Alexius from the 12th term!"

"Eh!?" Nearly everyone in the room gasps. Even Qamar, who is sitting next to me, gasps in shock.

"Hey wait!" Sphintus stands up. "Shouldn't Aladdin be the top seat!?"

"I have to admit that in this year we had two excellent transfer students. First is Aladdin. Even if the quantity of magoi he possesses is just above average, his ability, especially in combining the 1st and 2nd type magic, is magnificent. So magnificent that he makes you think about that legendary genius, Yamuraiha. But he still has a long road in front of him. Titus, come here on the platform."

"Yes," A boy about my age stands up. My eyes go wide as I watch him walk towards the platform. His rukh… it looks almost exactly like Aladdin's does.

"Although admitted in the 12th term, Titus was able to achieve splendid results in a short time. Results that even exceeded those of Aladdin. I will not accept any objections," The old man says firmly. "Well then, you are dismissed!" Everyone is quick to leave the room.

"You don't agree with this, right Aladdin!?" Sphintus yells loud enough for me to hear him across the room. I bite my lip nervously, wanting to go to Aladdin, but also not wanting to leave Qamar alone in this crowd. He sighs deeply, seeming to hear my thoughts.

"Let's go," Qamar takes my wrist in his hand, dragging me through the crowd towards Aladdin. The other students hurry to move out of our way to give us a clear path.

"Amir," Aladdin grins as he greets me. I smile softly in return.

"Hey, that spoiled brat is heading this way!" Sphintus whisper-shouts to us.

"Spoiled brat?" Aladdin questions.

"You don't know anything about it? Titus Alexius. The Alexius family is super famous for being the leaders of Laem's senate since long ago! I've never heard of the name Titus but," He looks towards the crowd of people who can't even bring themselves to look at Titus. "See? No one wants to defy somebody from the ruling class of Laem! This makes me sick!"

"I see," Aladdin nods slightly "Well as you told me, you are the heir of an impoverished incredible noble family after all," Aladdin smiles innocently at him.

"Shut up!" Sphintus hisses at him. I simply watch the two of them with Qamar in amusement. It seems Aladdin has grown rather fond of him. "Ah!" Sphintus yelps when he is pushed to the side by Titus.

"Hehe," Titus smiles, looking down at Aladdin. "Aladdin, I will make you into one of my friends!" He announces, holding his hand out for Aladdin to shake. I glance towards Aladdin, wondering what he'll do.

"What!?" Sphintus yells from behind us, glaring daggers at Titus.

"I heard that there was another excellent magician here besides me even if the remaining students don't amount to much," Titus says. I'm quick to begin glaring at him alongside Qamar and Sphintus. "We are special so we should get along well." After a long moment Aladdin begins to raise his hand. I frown slightly at this but decide against saying anything. Suddenly, Aladdin dodges Titus' hand and begins to grope at his chest. My eyes go wide and my mouth drops open in shock.

"That's right. That's how you should do it, Aladdin…" Titus trails off, seeming to realize what Aladdin is doing. Aladdin backs away, tilting his head in confusion.

"Um? So, there is nothing there after all," He mumbles. "Sorry, but you know, your voice has a high pitch and your bottom is quite big, so I thought that you were a Miss, but are you by any chance a Mister?" Aladdin rubs the back of his head awkwardly. Titus, who is still holding his hand out, begins to twitch slightly. Moments later, everyone begins to laugh uncontrollably.

"Gyahahahaha!" Sphintus doesn't bother to try hiding his laugh as he points at Titus. "He said you have a fat ass! Hahaha!" I shake my head a this, backing up into Qamar slightly. He gently takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. I squeeze his hand tightly, shaking slightly as I come to a cold realization. Aladdin will never change… not even for me.

"I will kill you!" Titus abruptly screams. He rushes towards Aladdin with his wand ready, but I don't make a move to stop him. I just watch as the scene unfolds in front of me.

"Let's go, Amir." Qamar begins to gently tug at my arm. I slowly follow him, not having it in me to fight against him at the moment. Soon we make it back to our room. I numbly walk towards my bed, sitting down on it. "Amir?" He asks, worry coating his voice. I silently look down to hide my eyes when they begin to burn.

"Nothing is ever going to change," I manage to choke out. "A-Aladdin will never change." He stands at the door, staring at me. "Qamar," I look up at him, tears filling my eyes. "I don't want to love him anymore. I can't take it any longer." His eyes widen slightly as I begin to cry. He walks over to me, kneeling in front of me. He gently cups my face in his hands, looking into my eyes.

"Amir, I'm afraid it just doesn't work that way," He says softly. "You will always love Aladdin. He's your first love after all. But that doesn't mean you can't love someone else." I stare at his rukh, looking as deeply into as a I can. It's nothing like Aladdin's but it's just as comforting. I can sense that he cares deeply for me and that he would never purposely hurt me.

"Qamar," I whimper softly, lifting my hands to lay them over his own on my face. "Why do you care for me so much?"

"Because you cared for me," He says without any hesitation. He leans forward, resting his forehead against mine. "You didn't give up on me. You kept pushing until I talked to you… until I let you help me. You saved me from myself and I fell in love with you because of that." My breath hitches slightly at his words. Love… he loves me? Memories of when Hakuryuu told me the same thing invade my mind. What if Qamar does the same thing to me?

"Amir, don't look so scared," He whispers. "You can trust me." I slowly nod as I begin to believe him. His rukh shows me that he truly means that.

"Qamar, does this mean you're going to give me a chance despite the fact that I still love Aladdin?" He frowns slightly, but nods.

"If you're going to trust me then I will also need to trust you. I'm trusting you to not go behind my back and run off with Aladdin, okay?" I nod slightly in return.

"I won't," I whisper. "I'm done chasing after someone who always hurts me." Qamar smiles brightly at me, seeming proud of me for making such a hard decision.

"Can I try something then?" His rukh turns a little pink at this and his face begins to feel a bit warm.

"Of course," I smile softly at him, my own face heating up. He leans forward, closing the small space between our lips. My eyes gently close as I kiss him back. I continue to smile into the kiss, knowing that things are going to continue to get better for the both of us.

 _~~Two Days Later~~_

"Come on, Amir. We need to get to the auditorium," Qamar whines from the doorway. I chuckle softly before walking up to him. He takes my hand in his, holding it gently in his. He leans forward and kisses me on the forehead before we begin walking together in a comfortable silence. As soon as we make it to the auditorium he groans in annoyance.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"The only seats open are next to Aladdin," He mumbles. I look around the room to find Aladdin.

"So? Let's go sit down," I begin to walks to the open seats, while he continues to grumble.

"What do you mean so?" He asks, sounding quite upset.

"Don't worry," I say, looking back to him. "I'm yours." He tightens his grip on my hand, but other than that he doesn't do or say anything else. I suppose my answer pleased him.

"Oh, it's the Prince," Sphintus muses when we sit beside them. "Joy," He dramatically sighs before sending a smirk my way. "What was your name again?" He looks at Qamar dully.

"Qamar Khoury," He answers. I smile brightly at the name he had picked for himself. I honestly love it.

"Amir!" Aladdin grins at me when he finally notices us. Titus also turns to look at us.

"Hello Aladdin," I greet him. "And you're Titus Alexius correct?"

"I am," He nods, sitting up straight. "And who are you?" He asks, sounding a little snobby. I raise an eye brow at this, but otherwise ignore it.

"I'm Prince Amir of Sindria," I introduce myself formally. He sucks in a sharp breath and his eyes widen. He whirls on Aladdin.

"Why didn't you tell me you were friends with a Prince!?" He whisper-yells at him. "Some warning would have been nice!" Aladdin just laughs at him with Sphintus. Qamar even chuckles softly before hiding it with a cough.

"Young Magicians," A older voice calls out. We all quickly turn to see the Chancellor himself walk into the room. He walks up to the podium. "Do you know who you are?" He asks. We all look at him in confusion. "It is possible there are people dear to you as well. Your beloved family, benefactors and friends who understand your intentions. You have shared joys and sorrows with them until now but didn't you ever think it's sad that you are different beings from them? Now I will reveal to you why we, acclaimed magicians, were created into this world! You are different from the people you love!" My eyes widen at this. Everyone in the room stays silent, too shocked to even speak.

"You probably came to this country, carrying with you different personal circumstances. But every one of you shares one thing: you carry the solitude of being different from the others," Everyone stays silent, listening to him. "Then why were you born as different beings from the others? Did you ever dare to ask yourselves why you were born a magician in this world? To think about why magic is born into this world? Did you know the rukh, this so called great power is making the entire world move?"

"The life and death of living things, the pulsations of the Earth and the atmosphere. They all are natural phenomena caused by the rukh. It is said humans who are not magicians are not able to see the rukh. Those who can see the rukh are able to manipulate the power that move the world, that is who you are, the magicians."

"But I want you to try to think well about this point. Were the magicians, who hold the power to make the world move, ever able to make the story of the world move? That never happened. If you try to remember, since ancient times, who were the Kings who fiercely established the various great countries? The Great Kouga Empire, Laem Empire, Partevia Empire, The Emergent Sindria Kingdom, and lastly, the Kou Empire. Who were those who stood on the stage of history, made history itself, and ruled this world? That's right. They were the Goi!" He suddenly shouts in anger. Everyone jumps in shock at the outburst. "The magic users, at most, were employed as fortune tellers or mediums by the Kings. Now I will show you a fraction of that." He raises his staff in the air, casting a spell.

"What is that!?" Students begin to shout. I narrow my eyes at the rukh filling the room. What is it doing?

"This is the situation of the Mustashim Kingdom 70 years ago," He answers them calmly. My eyes widen. He's showing us the past?

"What do you mean?" A student yells.

"Remote clairvoyance magic," He says, picking something up off the table and holding it above his head. "I'm projecting the memories of the rukh that dwell in my own blood." I hear Qamar and Sphintus gasp in shock.

"L-Like someone could do such a thing!" Sphintus shouts, standing up. He looks back and forth from the Chancellor to Aladdin, looking for answers.

"No, I've already seen something like this once," Aladdin tells him.

"Really? That's incredible! Did you see it in the Academy?"

"No, it was to verify whether a certain person was unchaste or not." Sphintus stares at him stupidly, not knowing how to respond. I shake my head at the memories. That was a bad day.

"Well then Magicians, you can witness it with your own eyes. The fate of the Magicians who lived in a country ruled by the Goi," I stay silent as everyone watches the magic. I do my best to keep up by reading the rukh. Soon the Chancellor begins to speak again.

"The Magicians who were outcasts and who desperately devoted themselves for the sake of the Goi back then were finally warmly accepted by everyone," He says. I bite my lip as I frown when I realize what he is showing everyone. Yam- Mother taught me most of this history when I was younger. "I was incredibly happy about it. But, at the same time, I still didn't understand the fundamental differences between the Magicians and Goi. Aladdin, Titus, Sphintus, tell us what you saw underground." I look at them, wondering what the Chancellor is talking about. Titus quickly stands up, clearly very upset.

"In the underground they absorb the Magoi of 200,000 people and oppress them!" He shouts. I look back to the Chancellor, waiting for answers.

"I see, oppress you say? I wonder if it is really like that, Titus."

"What!?" Titus yells at him.

"It is true that the people with few magoi have a somewhat hard time there, but they pass the majority of their time drinking alcohol, and indulging in laziness, right? They didn't even tell you that they wanted to go outside, right? They are fine if they are able to gain instant gratification from their primitive desires such as gluttony and lust. Just like cows, horses, and pigs. That's right, the Goi are animals, no different from livestock," The Chancellor says calmly. My mouth drops open slightly in shock.

"Why is he saying that with such a composed face!?" Sphintus glares at the Chancellor. "But they are different from cows and pigs because of just one thing. If the Fifth Level Citizens are convinced that they are a powerless existence, even they inhibit their frightening desire."

"Frightening desire?" A student questions.

"That's the desire for power. The desire to stand above others, to steal from people, to kick them down and step on them! In other words, human's most abominable desire."

"Heh," Titus chuckles. "Isn't such a thing the same for Magicians?"

"No, try to remember. What is the strongest desire you have as Magicians?" He asks us. "That's right, it is the desire for knowledge!" He exclaims after a minute of allowing everyone to think. "The spirit that pursues knowledge, that wants to know and explain anything! Besides that, did you ever think about stealing something from the others? Did you ever desire to have money or possessions? That's why none of the Magicians in the past ever thought about creating a country. However, an unthinkable event occurred. Three years after we achieved aristocracy, a certain contagious disease spread around the country. At that time, the Goi started the unfounded rumor that we Magicians were the cause of that disease! The origin of the rumor came from the aristocratic bureaucrats who were not pleased with the Magicians' rise to power. The masses changed their attitude towards us quickly and started to fear and hate the Magicians. King Mustashim imprisoned us with false charges and even tortured us. Some died as well."

"Myself, my daughter and my disciples retired from the official positions, and after appealing to the King, we obtained a small school building and we continued to live a poor life researching magic in segregation. But the story doesn't end there. After 30 years the great war against Partevia Empire broke out! Even before that time, there have been countless skirmishes with the contiguous countries. But this time our opponent was Partevia, a strong country that, at the time, was expanding its territory as much as possible. And then, suddenly the Goi began to rely on us Magicians again! A great number of my comrades and disciples were forcibly recruited for the war. Magicians became their shields because of our Borgs, and once they ran out of Magoi, they died. We researched about magic only to help the lives of the people, so we didn't create any method to fight in a war. My daughter died too."

"The royal family members and the nobles who were growing fat by drinking alcohol in front of me while I was remembering the soldiers who were exalted in their victory in the war, committed violence, pillaged and raped as much as they wanted. I began to wonder if magic really existed for such things. Is this really the mission that the rukh gave us? Will the world become better because of this? When I thought about it, I realized that this country didn't advance even for a bit in the last 30 years. The Goi didn't do anything in the last 30 years while we were discriminated and persecuted. They were the source of the contagious disease, as well as the scapegoat for different complaints from the masses and above all, they became the shield of our country's soldiers."

"Why does magic exist? Just for things like the never-ending wars and disputes between fellow countries that were caused only to satisfy their desire for power? Are they in any way different from savage beasts? Why aren't the aiming for a better world? The development of the civilization, the progress for mankind's awareness and morals, and the creation of an intellectual world through it. Such thing will never be created by those beasts!"

"Which species is really the livestock here? Did I commit a serious misunderstanding? That their absolute number and the position they were already occupying deceived me. Who are the ones who can create a rational, ideal and better world!? They are the Magicians themselves! We can guide the world towards the right path! Those beasts known as Goi don't have the qualifications nor the aptitude for that. If things continue like this and everything is entrusted to them, the world and all the Magicians will be involved in meaningless and ugly wars and end up destroyed. Therefore! I decided that I had to get rid of those Goi's rule! The Goi, the ones who are not able to suppress their desires should not completely control us Magicians! For the leadership and for the sake of all Magicians I had to build a Magician's country!" Titus draws my eyes to him when he suddenly stands.

"Is there something you need to say, Titus?" The Chancellor asks him. Titus is now hunched over his desk and shaking. Titus looks up to glare at the older man.

"Aren't you the incarnation of that ugly greed yourself? You used magic in order to usurp this country! You just wanted to become a King, right!?" He yells.

"That's not it, Titus. All this time I just remained the Chancellor of this Academy. Of course, during the establishment of this country, after obtaining the support of the people, I resigned myself to carry the responsibilities of a King."

"The people's support, you say!? No one would do such a thing! After seeing the terrible spectacle that fifth level authorization district is." The students around us begin to mumble, wondering what the fifth level authorization district is. I frown, also wondering why I haven't heard of this place before. "The life there is too cruel! The people there spend every day underground in an empty existence, while their magoi is stolen, and live without strength! And, Marga, a five-year-old little girl born there, can't live for more than another year because of an illness in her chest. She said that her dream is to go outside! Would you be able to say the same things in front of that girl, you bastard!?" Titus screams at him. I stare wide eyed at Titus.

"In that case, you can let that little girl go outside," The Chancellor says. Titus goes silent, not believing what the Chancellor just said. "But in that place, there are several hundreds of young people like her. What would you do about those children? Will you raise them all? If you want to help that child called Marga then aren't you doing that just because you want to heal some kind of personal injury in your heart just for self-satisfaction?" Titus' eyes go wide and he goes completely still before he lowers his head, unable to say anything. Before anything else can be said, Aladdin stands in front of Titus.

"Do you want to say something, Aladdin?" The Chancellor asks him calmly.

"It's not as you said, Chancellor. I also thought about taking Marga outside of that place. I also experienced something similar to her current situation, but it is not like that. Are you saying that those 200,000-people destined to die after running out of magoi exist in order to make the people on the surface live in a comfortable life? That's strange. I think that you are wrong, Chancellor."

"You have misunderstood something, Aladdin. In the fifth level authorization district, the citizens' mortality drastically decreased since the Mustashim Era."

"What!?" Both Titus and Aladdin say.

"They don't experience extreme cold, extreme heat, nor hunger. They don't have to pay taxes, there is neither famine nor natural calamities there. And the Magicians heal their illnesses too. There are some congenital illnesses that even magic cannot cure. There are all the things that the poor peasants desired in the past. They wanted to receive the blessings of magic and pass their time without working."

"B-But!" A student behind us stands up as he shouts. "My parents are Goi. I can't accept that they are locked underground!"

"Calm down and remember," The Chancellor raises his hand. "On the surface there are a lot of Goi who work and live normally. Listen everyone!" He abruptly shouts. "It's not like I want to oppress the Goi or anything like that! I just want to build a world where a lot of people can live happily! But I will say this countless more times! The Magicians and the Goi are two different species! The species with superior intelligence and reason must control the species that don't have those qualities and guide them towards a more advanced world! A world without meaningless conflict! Towards a peaceful and civilized society brimming with order! The only ones who can make the world improve more and more thanks to the pursuit of knowledge are us! We, the ones who are born with the power, already have this duty! Otherwise, what is magic!? We Magicians were born in order to guide this grieving world towards the right path! And yet a lot of Magicians receive an unfair treatment, right? I want to erase such things!" With that he dismissed us, leaving us to discuss our thoughts amongst ourselves. We all leave the room silently with our heads down. He did make quite a few good points but saying the Goi are like livestock? Qamar snaps me out of my thoughts when he takes my hand to guide me out of the room. I smile gratefully at him. Soon all of us are gathered together. We sit in silence on the floor, none of us knowing what to say.

"It often happens that medical Magicians are born in my clan, but they are used by the royal family for absurd power struggles," Sphintus says, breaking the silence that surrounded us. "Something like assassinating your political opponents though diseases. If you don't like such things and oppose them, you are exiled from the royal court. I thought that my grandfather was just an idiot who went against the royal family. But were he born in a country where magic is used to do the right things, then I wonder if he would be happier." Everyone is once again silent. I sigh softly, leaning into Qamar when he wraps an arm around me. Soon a female student raises her head to speak.

"I think that in the East, it is even worse. There, the concept of magic is still immature, so even my parents thought I was something gross because I was a little girl with strange powers. I'm sure that even in this moment there are a lot of children who are crying just because they can use magic!" She says, tearing up. "When I came here in Magnoshutatt, I thought that I wanted to show this country to them."

"A country for Magicians, huh," Another student begins to mumble. "I never thought about such a thing." After that all the first Kodor students began to gather somewhere every time we finished our lessons and we exchanged our opinions on the matter. Soon we decided that we couldn't properly judge what the Chancellor had said unless we saw the place with our own eyes so that's what we did.

"This place," I mumble, looking up towards the middle of the ceiling.

"Amir?" Qamar questions me. I shake my head.

"Sorry," I sigh. "It's just hard to see here. All the rukh is following towards that spot," I point to it. "The rukh doesn't have time to form a shape here. It's taken from them before it can. The only thing I can see are us Magicians and that's only because we have more magoi." He frowns deeply, nodding slowly in understanding.

"What's wrong, Titus?" Aladdin says, interrupting our conversation. I look over to Titus, seeing that he is staring at his feet. He looks defeated.

"Marga, could it be that I just wanted to help her because of my personal circumstances?" He asks softly.

"Titus," Aladdin starts but he is also interrupted.

"Aladdin and Titus," The voice of the Chancellor calls for them.

"What?" Aladdin questions in surprise. "Chancellor! Why are you here?"

"Guide me to the place where that girl called Marga is."

"What did you just say?" Titus asks, unsure if he heard the Chancellor correctly.

"It's fine if you bring that little girl called Marga outside. That's what I told you. If you like it, she can live with you on the surface forever. Is that fine with you?"

"Don't fuck with me," Titus growls at him. I nearly shiver when I see the look on his face. His rukh… it looks so cold. "You despised the Goi to that extent, and now you suddenly feel pity for Marga!?"

"You are wrong. The one I feel pity for is you, Titus," The Chancellor points at him. Titus instantly recoils.

"What!?"

"After seeing you supporting that little girl called Marga so much, I saw the presence of some kind of shadow that you carry as well. Titus, what are you hiding?" He asks, walking up to us. He reaches forward, grabbing Titus' arm and pulling the smaller boy towards him. "I know that you are a subordinate of Laem's Magi, Scheherazade!"

"What?" I question aloud, looking from Titus to Aladdin in confusion. Aladdin doesn't seem too shocked. Titus must have told him already.

"Dammit!" Titus tries to jerk his arm away as he panics. Aladdin quickly moves between the two of them, calmly looking the Chancellor in the eye.

"It's alright, Titus. This person also knows about me and Yam," He says. My eyes widen in shock. Why didn't he tell me this? Why wouldn't Aladdin tell me the Chancellor was aware of my mother? I could have spoken to him… gotten to know him.

"That's right," The Chancellor nods. "However, that's not a problem! Both Yamuraiha and Scheherazade are to me nothing more than two poor female Magicians who are fighting alone in foreign countries." I frown at this.

"Poor?" I ask the Chancellor as I step forward. He looks at me, staring for a long moment before he nods.

"Yes. Yamuraiha is a powerful Magician who, with her strong powers, is able to cover an entire country with a huge barrier. Probably, she is already doing such a thing. But if she does such a thing, there is no doubt that she will die young!" My eyes widen in disbelief.

"W-What?" My voice cracks.

"That should be obvious! Even in Magnoshutatt, the barrier is created by many Magicians and magic items. If she's relying on the talent of one single person, the sacrifices would be inevitable! But, is that, really right? And the same thing is valid for Scheherazade. I know that she is one of the legendary Magicians, the Magi, but this isn't related to the fact that she is a Magi or not."

"It's not related?" Titus mumbles.

"That's right. I cannot help to think that all the Magicians who sacrifice their own special powers and even take their sacrifices as their mission and satisfaction are pitiable. It irritates me and I want to help them. I want to create a nation that not only supports all those Magicians scattered around the world but is also a country where they can live happily. That is my desire," He says strongly. I clench my fists, staring at the ground in anger. I can't help but to agree with the Chancellor now. The Goi… their desires are disgusting. How could Father ask Mother to do such a thing? Why would she even do it? Why is she sacrificing herself to protect Sindria? Qamar takes my hand when we start walking again but doesn't say anything. Soon we reach Marga's home and the Chancellor walks right up to her. He picks her up and holds her out to Titus.

"Hey, you want to bring her with you to the surface, right?" The Chancellor asks him. "And you should think hard with your head about what to do with the other children here once you get outside." Marga stretches her arms at towards Titus. He slowly takes her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"You are bringing me with you to the surface? R-Really?" She asks him as she hugs him just as tightly.

"Yes," Titus smiles brightly at her.

"Hehe," The Chancellor smiles. "So, you like her that much, huh? I'm happy for you, Titus!" With that he turns to leave, joining the other students outside. I follow him, dragging Qamar with me since he is refusing to let go of my hand.

"Chancellor!" I call for him. He stops walking to look at me along with all the other students. They begin to whisper quietly, wondering what I could possibly be wanting.

"Yes?" I chew on my lip nervously. He doesn't know who I am. Should I leave it that way?

"Introduce yourself," Qamar whispers to me encouragingly. I gulp slightly, but nod.

"M-My name is Amir and I'm Yamuraiha's son," I say softly. I faintly hear him such in a sharp breath before he kneels down in front of me. The whispers surrounding us grow louder, making me even more nervous.

"What are you saying?" He questions me, seeming to not believe me. I slowly look up to meet his gaze.

"My mother is Yamuraiha… your adopted daughter," I repeat. He continues to stare at me.

"I can see her in you," He finally responds. "You share her talent with magic and your eyes. They are the same color as your mothers." I smile almost shyly as I nod.

"So, I've been told."

"What do you mean, Amir?" He frowns lightly.

"I forgot what my eyes look like," I answer truthfully. He leans in closer to me, inspecting my eyes. I once again bite my lip nervously but don't back away from him.

"You're blind," He says in shock. I nod slightly. "How?"

"Umm. A sea monster attacked me when I was younger." Before I could even blink he wraps me in his arms in a tight hug. I stiffen in surprise before welcoming the warm hug.

"I have a grandson," He chuckles happily with a wide grin

 _~~A Few Days Later~~_

"I'm still quite surprised," Lord Mogamett hums as he sips his tea. I have yet to call him my grandfather seeing as I haven't gotten to know him. I tilt my head a little in confusion. It's been a week since I told the Chancellor who I am and this is the first time we've had the chance to sit down and talk privately. "I had no idea Yamuraiha had a son."

"Don't take it personally," I chuckle softly. "I only just recently found out she was my birth mother. They kept it a secret from me… from everyone," He gazes at me, a curious look on his face.

"And you're also the Prince of Sindria, yes?" He asks. I nod slightly. "That's surprising."

"Yeah. I can see why you would think that," I sigh softly.

"On another note, would you mind telling me more about your ability to see the rukh so clearly?"

"I don't really understand it myself," I shrug lightly. "When I woke up from my coma I could see little white dots. As the days went by they grew brighter. Ever since then I've been learning to control the ability and to see what I wish to see in the rukh."

"You can see multiple things in the rukh?" He leans forward, becoming even more interested.

"At first all I could see were the basic outlines of any living thing. Now I am able to see what emotions people are feeling, if they are telling the truth or lying, and I also learned that if I focus hard enough then I can see the rukh of people that are miles away, though that only works if I'm familiar with the rukh I'm searching for."

"Fascinating," He smiles widely at me. "This is quite the gift you have." He opens his mouth to speak again, but the door to his office slams open. We quickly turn to see Titus standing there. I frown deeply at the state he's in.

"What's wrong? Why are you here so late in the night, Titus?" The Chancellor asks him. Titus begins to shake. My eyes widen when he begins to cry.

"I don't want to die yet," He forces out. He stumbles forward, clutching his arm to try to stop his shaking. Lord Mogamett stands up, instantly worried for one of his students. "C-Chancellor Mogamett, I have a certain predicament that won't let me live long, but I don't want to die!" I continue to stare wide eyed at Titus, not knowing what to do. I want to go to him, but we aren't even friends. How could I possibly help him right now? And would he even want my help?

"Titus!?" Lord Mogamett rushes to the boy. "What's wrong? I noticed that something was wrong with you, but could it be that you are affected by some kind of illness just like Marga? In that case I will help you! In the case of magic for the sake of the people for the sake of healing humans, we have been continuously researching for many years now."

"An illness of the humans?" Titus slowly says. "Then probably it will not work on me. I'm not ill, and I am not even human."

"What do you mean!?" Chancellor Mogamett explains.

"I'm a puppet created by Lady Scheherazade with magic. I'm Lady Scheherazade's clone, a fragment of her flesh and bone on which she poured magic in for years. That's who I am. I can live in the world outside only for a tenth of the time she poured magic into me. For 14 years, I continued to hear about the world outside while my consciousness was in darkness. During all those times I always yearned for the bright world outside, that I only know because of the things I heard. But I should have not come outside to this… to this dazzling place." Titus reaches up, gripping his hair painfully tight. "There was the sky, I could breathe air. I smiled, I got angry, sometimes they told me that they love me and even thanked me. For other children it's something normal, but for me it's impossible. Just another month and all of this will end. So why was I born in this world!?" He cries. "Sometimes I envy Aladdin, Sphintus, Marga, and Amir."

"What do you mean?" Mogamett asks him.

"I envy them because they can live after my death. When they talk about what they will do after I die… it becomes unbearable. Why?" He grabs his chest as it becomes harder for him to breathe. "Why was I the only one who was born like this?" I stand up quickly in a panic when his rukh begins to darken. "I-I can't allow this. To think I would feel like this even towards the people who are supposed to be precious to me, and towards Lady Scheherazade who is like a parent to me. I don't want it, but I can't help it. I hate myself!" He screams. The rukh explodes around him, making me flinch away from the intensity of it.

"Lord Mogamett! This is bad!" I shout at him. "At this rate his rukh will turn black!"

"Titus!" Lord Mogamett shouts at him, grabbing his shoulders to force him to look up. "Get ahold of yourself! There is no need to feel ashamed or envious! Aladdin and the others will not blame you! They will want to help you instead!"

"My life has no worth," I barely hear Titus whisper. My body seems to move on it's on and I find myself next to Titus. I go to wrap my arms around him, to comfort him in the only way I know how, but as soon as I do his rukh begins to calm. His body glows brightly and he shakes violently before he falls backwards into the chair Mogamett was sitting in. We both stare at Titus, wondering what exactly just happened.

"Titus, are you alright?" Mogamett gently places his hand on Titus' arm. Titus wastes no time in slapping it away.

"Step back, Elder from Magnoshutatt," He says. I jerk back in surprise and quickly look at his rukh. My eyes narrow when I see that this is no long Titus we are speaking to. I can tell that this is Titus but for some reason it's different. I've never seen anything like this before.

"Who are you?" Mogamett asks, noticing the same thing I did. Titus sits up straight and raises his head.

"I am Laem Empire's High Priestess, Scheherazade." I gawk at Titus… at Scheherazade. So, this is why Titus' rukh reminded me of Aladdin's?

"Scheherazade, you say!?" Mogamett gasps in shock.

"I noticed something was happening to his rukh, so I came out to see what it was," Scheherazade sighs softly. "Titus and I share the same rukh, in other worlds, we are the same life force. I normally sense any abnormality in Titus' rukh. Thus, it allows me to align our consciousness in a single vessel for a period of time," She explains to us. H-How is such a thing even possible?

"Heh. So, the Magi can even do such a thing as this, huh?"

"Lord Mogamett, turn Magnoshutatt into a province of the Laem Empire," Scheherazade abruptly demands.

"What did you say!?" Lord Mogamett shouts at her. I jump slightly at this and slowly back away from the two. This is definitely not a conversation for me to poke my nose in.

"No matter how you look at it, in the near future your country will only have two options. One is to surrender to us, the Laem Empire, and the other one is to become a vassal state of the Kou Empire and be involved in the war against the Laem Empire. You don't have to worry. In Laem, the Magicians are not discriminated. Now, take my hand in order to survive," She says calmly and raises her hand out for Lord Mogamett to take. Lord Mogamett is silent for a long moment.

"No, I will not live in a country ruled by the Goi," He finally replies. "Magicians can only live in a country made by Magicians themselves."

"You are so foolish. Do you really think that Magnoshutatt, without Metal Vessels, Magi or divine protection, can be a match against the Kou and Laem Empires?" Lord Mogamett doesn't respond to her. "Ha. So, you don't even consider it. Anyway, I will not let you bring Titus on a path of self-destruction with you. I want you to return him to me. The people of Laem are destined to rest on Laem's soil after all."

"No, I will not return him to you," Lord Mogamett says firmly.

"Eh?" Scheherazade says, not expecting such a response.

"Such young Magicians crushed by sadness like him are the ones I decided to protect." I watch, slightly amazed, as Lord Mogamett walks up to her. He firmly takes Titus' wrist in his hand. "I will not abandon this child. That's the only meaning in my life." Both of their rukh flare to life, but now even brighter than before. It looks as if they are having an internal battle.

"Return Titus to me," Scheherazade repeats.

"I will not!" Lord Mogamett shouts.

"Return him to me! Titus is exactly the same being as myself. Do you understand what you are doing!? Lord Mogamett of Magnoshutatt!"

"Yes, I understand! I will not give him back to you, even if I will make the Laem Empire my enemy!" He shouts. Their rukh flare once again. I shield my eyes from it, unable to look at it any longer.

"I will remember those words!" Scheherazade screams, her voice drifting away. I glance up to see the rukh has calmed and that Titus is once again himself.

"W-What did you do!?" Titus shouts, wide eyed.

"All the Magicians are like my own children," Lord Mogamett says, kneeling down to Titus who fell when Scheherazade left him. "So, don't say such sad words anymore, Titus."

 _ **Chapter 26**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Everything is as I told you, Aladdin," Lord Mogamett says to him. Lord Mogamett had me go wake Aladdin up after Titus passed out. I assume it's because he is Titus' friend and he felt Aladdin needed to know this.

"Titus," Aladdin looks at the sleeping boy in shock. "That's impossible!" He shouts, completely forgetting that Titus is asleep. I glance at said boy to make sure we aren't disturbing him. Luckily, he didn't seem bothered by Aladdin shouting.

"Returning Titus is just a simple pretext for Scheherazade," Lord Mogamett sighs, crossing his arms. "She is focused on the Kou Empire that lies beyond Magnoshutatt. I tried to talk with her and confirmed that. It's fine if you choose to follow either Kou or Laem… or leave Magnoshutatt to be swallowed by the war. Tomorrow morning, I intend to tell everyone the same thing. But before that, Aladdin there is something you wanted to ask me, right?" I frown a little at this, looking at Aladdin who seems oddly serious.

"Chancellor, who taught you about the ways to create black djinn? Are you allied with Al Thamen?" Aladdin asks.

"Oh. Aladdin, you know Isnan, too?" Both Aladdin and I gasp at this.

"Then you are allied with them?" I ask, glaring at Lord Mogamett.

"We collaborated with Isnan and advanced in all of our researches in order to give birth to a power that could oppose the Kings of the Goi," Lord Mogamett admits.

"You and Isnan created the black metal vessel!?" Aladdin shouts.

"Yes," He nods. "But we cut our relationship with Isnan and his group. Isnan, of all people, distributed those black metal vessels among his Goi subordinates. I couldn't allow such a thing. I also came to know Mustashim's Princess was secretly among them. I cannot give the Goi power to become a King, no matter who he is." I let out a quiet sigh of relief. If Magnoshutatt was still allied with Isnan, with Al Thamen, then I would have to cut ties with my grandfather.

"That's why you cut your relationships with them but in the past, you were allies. And now it's different, right?" Aladdin asks.

"We are not enemies but the agreements we made several years ago were broken and they left. They have not contacted us since then. Were you only concerned about that?"

"Why did you give the magic items to thieves?" Aladdin asks after a minute.

"We sold them. I was considering, in the near future, mass producing magic items and selling them to other countries to obtain funds. I just give those prototypes among the inferior goods as trial runs for those who wanted them." I look at Aladdin, frowning when I see how angry he's becoming. I don't blame him though. A lot of horrible things happened because of those magic items.

"Because of that a lot of people are getting hurt. But I'm sure you would say it doesn't concern you because they are not Magicians." Aladdin glares up at Lord Mogamett, clenching his fists tightly.

"The ones I want to protect are the Magicians. Not the Goi," Lord Mogamett nods.

"Chancellor, you are a suitable King. But only for the Magicians!" Aladdin shouts at him. My eyes widen in shock.

"You are a Magician, too," Lord Mogamett points at him. "You, Titus, Amir, Irene, Myers. I worry for all of the Magicians, and I would never lie to them! I want to protect this country. And in order to do that, I want you to lend me your power, Aladdin. Please." Aladdin stares at him in shock. So, this is why he wanted to speak with Aladdin. To ask him for his power.

 _~~That Morning~~_

I bite my lip nervously as Lord Mogamett stands in front of us. All the students and professors gathered here to hear the urgent announcement. I jump slightly when someone takes my hand. I turn to see it's Qamar. Slowly, I relax.

"I will cut to the chase," Lord Mogamett begins. "Magnoshutatt will wage war against the Laem Empire!" Everyone, including the professors, begin to panic.

"What do you mean!?" A few students begin to shout.

"I will fight for the sake of this country," Lord Mogamett continues calmly.

"If we surrender this place to foreign countries then there would not have been any meaning in causing the rebellion during the rule of the Mustashim King. I would not be able to apologize to all those people who died then," A professor says, his voice thick with anguish.

"M-Me, too," A student shakily admits. "I searched for a place where I could live in peace. If we yield this country, there would have been no meaning abandoning my hometown and my family!"

"I want a country for Magicians!" A student suddenly shouts. Soon all the students are chanting this. Out of the corner of my eye I see someone collapse to their knees. I quickly tug Qamar with me to see who it was. We see that it's Titus and Aladdin who is trying to comfort the shaking boy.

"Because of me, Magnoshutatt is, I'm so sorry!" Titus says, trying his hardest to hold back tears.

"What are you talking about, Titus!?" A few professors rush to his side. "This isn't happening because of you. We will definitely help you, and we won't forsake you!" Soon all the professors have gathered around us, including Lord Mogamett. Titus looks up at the Chancellor, tears running down his cheeks.

"It's impossible. You cannot win against Laem! Just give up, please!" Titus begs him.

"What are you so afraid of, Titus?" Lord Mogamett calmly asks him.

"I'm afraid of the King vessels in Laem. The three metal vessel users that Lady Scheherazade chose!"

After that the professors and Lord Mogamett take Titus to a more private room to discuss the Laem Empire. All the students were told to wait for their return here. Qamar, Aladdin, Sphintus, and I all moved towards the wall to sit down and talk.

"What should we do?" I hear a student ask softly.

"I will run away. It's not my place to die with this country!" A boy shouts. Everyone looks at him in shock.

"But are you sure that's the right thing to do? If there will be a war then t-the professors and the people from this country will all die, right?" A female student says.

"That's true," Another agrees. "But what should we do then?"

"Amir?" Qamar asks. I look at him, noticing how worried he looks. "What are you going to do?"

"I want to protect this country," I answer softly. He nods in agreement.

"As do I. I finally found a home. I don't want to lose it," He looks down. I smile sadly at him.

"I know. We'll protect it. No matter what," I whisper, leaning over to kiss him on the forehead. He looks up and his rukh turns pink. I chuckle softly at this. "Why are you blushing?" This question only causes his rukh to glow brighter.

"P-People can see us!" He whisper-shouts at me. I grin at him.

"So? Let them see," I say confidently before I kiss him on the lips. He jerks away, sputtering a string of curses at me. I try not to laugh at him, but soon fail. I know people are staring, but I can't bring myself to care.

"Amir!" I stop laughing when Aladdin shouts at me. I look at him, raising an eye brow slightly in shock. "W-What are you doing!?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, staring straight at him. Did it bother him that I kissed Qamar? I don't see why it would. It's clear he didn't share my feelings. If he did then he wouldn't have groped Titus when he thought he was a girl.

"Why would you kiss him?" He quietly hisses at me, glaring at both Qamar and I.

"Why wouldn't I kiss my boyfriend?" I tilt my head slightly.

"Boyfriend?" Sphintus hums thoughtfully, not sounding very surprised.

"But I thought…" Aladdin trails off. I stare at him blankly. "You said…"

"I know what I said," I say softly. "And I meant it."

"Then why?" He begins to glare at me. "You said you loved me.. and now you're with him?" He gestures to Qamar angrily. Sphintus sits up quickly at that, asking what we are talking about exactly. We all ignore him. "Maybe you didn't love me after all," He mumbles. I stare at him with wide eyes. How could he say that?

"Aladdin stop acting like a child," Qamar speaks before I have a chance. "You were always hurting Amir, even after he told you how he felt. It's only natural that he would want to move on so he could have a chance to be happy."

"Okay. Let's calm down guys," Sphintus says before Aladdin could respond.

"Aladdin," I say, ignoring Sphintus once again. "I will always love you and I'll always be there for you, but I'm staying with Qamar."

"If you love me so much then why would you give up on me? You only just told me. I didn't have time to think about it or anything." Aladdin's anger seems to vanish completely.

"I know," I sigh softly. "But after what you did to Titus… I just couldn't take it anymore," I slowly admit.

"I'm sorry," He mumbles. I look at his rukh, seeing he is telling the truth. "C-Can I have another chance?" He asks softly.

"Umm, Aladdin," Sphintus speaks up once again. Aladdin looks at him, frowning lightly. "Maybe you should just be happy for Amir? From everything I just heard he's been hurting for a long time. If Qamar makes him happy then shouldn't you be happy for him?" I look at Sphintus in pure shock. This is completely out of character for him. Aladdin stares at him for a long moment before slowly nodding.

"I guess you're right. I knew how much I've hurt him and I did it again without even a second thought. I don't deserve another chance," Aladdin says sadly. He gives me a small smile full of regret. "I really am sorry."

"I know," I smile back at him. "Thank you for understanding."

"Calm down!" A woman shouts over the students who continued to bicker this whole time. I give one last smile to Aladdin before I look up to the stairs to see all the Professors are back. "You shouldn't be that afraid of the Laem and Kou Empires. We've stored a lot of power in order to defeat those arrogant Goi Kings."

"Power?" Aladdin questions softly. I look at him, noticing that he is back to normal. I smile faintly in relief. I suppose I forget that Aladdin is still a kid. It was wrong of me to admit my feelings for him. After all, he's too young to worry about something like love.

"Why are dressed like that?" A student questions someone. We all look over to see he is talking to Titus.

"Ah!" Aladdin and Sphintus gasps. I frown in confusion.

"What am I missing here?" I ask in confusion.

"I became one of this country's high-class Magicians," Titus explains. "And I cannot communicate with Laem anymore."

"You know the Chancellor told us everything," Aladdin steps forward. "That you were probably troubled by something"

"He said that you completely changed sides. Is that true?" Sphintus asks bluntly. Titus looks down slightly, a deep frown appearing on his face.

"Will you fight together with the people of Magnoshutatt?" Aladdin asks. "Will you also fight against Miss Scheherazade?" Before any of us could move Titus has Aladdin pinned to the wall.

"Yeah. I will fight. I don't want to die, you know," He glares down at Aladdin who calmly watches him. "You scorn me now, right?" Titus eyes widen suddenly and he lets Aladdin go. He backs away slowly. "I was really wrong when I said that we were similar. I cannot become like you no matter what! How many times I told myself that it was for the Laem Empire's sake. I could only think about myself," Titus says, collapsing to his knees. Sphintus quickly rushes to his side.

"What I do is for my own sake, as well," Aladdin replies without any hesitation. "We are born into this world and then we meet people dear to us. We don't do what we do only because of the duty that was bestowed upon us, but because we came to love this world. That's why I will fight with all of my strength until my life is totally consumed for the wishes that the others entrusted to me," Aladdin starts to awkwardly rub the back of his head. "But I'm not that inclined to fight against the Laem Empire. They're not the real threat here."

"The real threat?" Sphintus and Titus question.

"The source of that threat is probably dormant somewhere in this city and I will stop it," Aladdin says confidently.

"Amir," Lord Mogamett walks up to us. I jump a little in surprise. I was so focused on Aladdin's speech that I didn't even notice him walk up.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I have an offer for you," He says, sounding slightly unsure.

"What is it?" I question.

"If there was a chance you could see again, would you take it?" My eyes go wide.

"W-What do you mean?" I stutter slightly.

"You told me that Yamuraiha and the Magicians in Sindria were not able to heal your eyes, but we are much more skilled here. I meant to ask you this last night while we were talking, but as you know, things got a little out of hand." I look back to my friends, unsure of what I should do. Aladdin and Qamar grin at me.

"You should try it, Amir!" Aladdin says excitedly. Qamar nods in agreement.

"You're always talking about how you miss seeing the world. This could be your only chance to see it again," Qamar says. I nod slightly before I look back to my grandfather.

"Okay," I agree. He smiles at me.

"Let's go then," He turns to leave, but stops. "Your friends may come along as well." With that we all follow Lord Mogamett to see the healers. Qamar holds my hand gently as we walk in silence.

I stand nervously in the middle of the magic circle that may give me my sight back when we arrive. I glance around the room to see that multiple Magicians have surrounded the circle.

"We are ready to begin," A woman speaks up. "This may hurt, but do not leave the middle of the circle." I nod slightly, growing even more nervous. They all raise their wands and not seconds later a burning pain fills my eyes. I cry out softly and close my eyes tightly, but I don't move my feet an inch. With every second the pain continues to worsen, growing nearly unbearable.

"Lord Mogamett," The woman calls him over after ten minutes and they begin to whisper softly to one another. "I'm afraid this doesn't seem to be working," She says so softly that I barely catch it. "His injuries may be too old for us to heal." A new pain begins to form in my chest and I quickly grasp my shirt tightly with both hands. I don't want to stay like this. I want to see my friends. I want to see my mother and father. I want to be able to see the world and go on adventures like I always dreamed of doing. This has to work.

"Are you positive?" He asks her.

"Yes…" She trails off. The pain in my eyes begins to fade away. Are they giving up? They can't. Not yet. When the pain disappears, I fall to the ground, all my strength leaving me. Everyone quickly rushes to me.

"Amir!" Qamar shouts, his voice full of worry. He places his hands on my shoulders as he shakes me lightly. Slowly I raise my head and open my eyes to look at him. My eyes widen and my mouth parts in a soft gasp.

"Q-Qamar?" I whimper softly, tears filling my eyes as I look at the white-haired boy with ice blue eyes in front of me.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" He continues to worry. I shakily raise my hand and place it on his cheek. The tears quickly begin to fall.

"I see you," I whisper, not bothering to wipe away my tears. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Let me see," The woman from before kneels next to us. I barely manage to tear my eyes away from Qamar to look at her. "Incredible," She mumbles after checking my eyes. "They've healed perfectly but how?" I grin widely at that before I look around the room.

"So, who's who?" I ask, looking at Qamar for an answer. Everyone chuckles softly at that and Qamar gesturing to the boy haired boy.

"That's Aladdin," He then moves on to tell me the blond is Titus and the one with white hair is Sphintus. I stare at them all, taking in each of their appearances. I can't help but to stare at Aladdin a little longer.

"I can't believe this," I say softly. "I never thought this was possible." Then the door is slammed open. We all quickly turn to see one of the professors panting heavily.

"I-It's begun!" He shouts before running back out the door.

"Let's go!" Lord Mogamett doesn't hesitate. All the Magicians including Titus rush to follow him, to fight for their beloved country.

"Qamar, are you ready?" I ask him, standing up. He nods in agreement as he gets up. "Then let's go," I take his hand in mine.

"Wait, you two are going to fight?" Aladdin steps in front of us.

"Of course, we are," Qamar says. "We want to protect this place."

"But…" He frowns deeply.

"We'll be fine. We have each other so don't worry Aladdin," I smile at him. "You do what you have to do. We're going to help the professors." With that I leave with Qamar by my side.

"We should hurry. I bet they're already fighting." Qamar worries as we run through the halls. Soon we make it outside and are flying towards the battle field.

"We will not let you lay a single finger on our soldiers!" A female professor shouts. She stands in front of the soldiers along with two other magicians. Qamar and I quickly land beside her.

"Back up?" She asks with a smirk. "Looks like we won't be need-" She's cut off when a loud explosion goes off above us.

"W-What is that!?" A student shouts. We don't answer, seeing as we don't even know. It looks like very strong magic but somehow it seems different. They continue to cause the explosions as their troops attack from the ground, catching us by surprise. I draw my sword, easily fighting off the soldiers now that I can see. Qamar stays beside me the whole time, watching my back and protecting me from what I don't notice.

"Amir!" Qamar shouts. "The barrier!" I quickly look up to see it's riddled with cracks. Not a moment later it breaks, exploding into millions of pieces before disappearing all together. The Laem Empire soldiers cheer for joy while us Magicians continue to stare in shock. I break my gaze away from the sky when someone cries out in agony.

"They have magic items!" Magicians shout as they take to the sky to avoid being burned alive.

"Get off the ground!" I firmly order Qamar. He hesitates before obeying me, seeing that I won't be taking no for an answer. I stay on the ground, using my sword to fight so I can save my magoi for emergencies.

"W-What is that!?" An enemy soldier screams, staring wide eyed behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see a huge glowing magic item.

"It's gathering magoi?" I question. My eyes go wide when I see just how destructive this attack will be. I quickly use gravity magic to fly to Qamar. "We need to move! Now!" I yell as I drag him out of the line of fire. All the other magicians rush to get out of the way as well.

"What's going on!?" Qamar shouts, but doesn't resist as I drag him along with me.

"I'm not sure," I frown deeply. I stop when we are finally safe from it's blast range. A blindly light fills my vision. When it fades away all I can do is stare at what was the Laem Empire's army. Qamar begins to gag beside me, covering his mouth and looking away from the hundreds of burned bodies. They fire the magic tool again without mercy. Before it can connect with the remaining forces, giant boulders land in front of them.

"We couldn't bear to watch anymore," A large man with long red hair speaks. A group of people sharing the same color of hair walk through the Laem army.

"That thing is Magnoshutatt's magic tool, right?" A man with a horrible scar on his face asks.

"Indeed, it is," A woman grins wildly.

"I see," He begins to grin. I shiver lightly at how animalistic it is with his scar. "Something like that is nothing against us!" He shouts.

"Hunt down that Magnoshutatt weapon, Finalist Corps!" The long haired main orders. They speed towards us with inhuman speed. My eyes widen in realization. These people… they're just like Morgiana! I don't have time to think any more about it before the fight begins.

"A-Amir!" Qamar shouts, fear consuming his voice. I quickly dodge another attack from a Finalist, panting heavily as I do. I can't keep this up much longer. They're just too strong. "Get out of there!" He screams at me. I frown deeply at the thought of running but listen to him. I hover in the sky next to him.

"Calm down," I pant softly.

"No!" My head snaps towards the sound of Titus' voice. "I don't want to go back!" The Finalist with long hair simply smiles at him while charging forward with his sword raised.

"Let's go back!" He orders. He brings his sword down on Titus but his borg protects him.

"I'm not Lady Scheherazade!" He screams. "I'm only one of her clones, but I lived just one year and yet I became an independent human!" Titus rises into the air, readying himself to perform a high-level spell. "That's why I will not lose, even to you, Lady Scheherazade's first subordinate, because I also found important people I want to protect! Destruction!" A large cloud of smoke forms when the spell connects.

"Heh!" The Finalist chuckles when he emerges from the smoke. "Important people, you say? I'm glad for you. But you don't understand, you cannot live together with them." He runs forward to attack Titus once again.

"What!?" Titus glares darkly at the man.

"The flow of time, the way your body is made, and even the fate you were give. These are all different from theirs because these are unnatural! And the same goes for us. That's why you shouldn't be conceited. You should bear it in mind and you shouldn't avert your eyes from what you really are!" He shouts at Titus.

"You are wrong. I want to be with them forever!"

"You still don't understand!? You are a monster. You cannot be a human. You are a life that should not have been born in this world in the first place!" My eyes widen in disbelief. Titus completely stills before lowering himself to the ground in defeat. The Finalist walks forward, taking Titus' wrist in his hand. "Please admit it. Those are the real feelings of your precious people."

"That's not true!" I shout, unable to watch this anymore. I know I don't stand a chance against a group of Finalist but I can't stay silent on the side lines any longer. They all turn to glare at me. I quickly fly towards Titus, landing a few feet away from them. Qamar doesn't hesitate to follow me even though it's obvious that he is scared. He stands slightly behind me, as if he could hide from their view this way. "It doesn't matter how Titus came to be! He is still our friend no matter what!"

"Amir?" Titus looks up at me, his eyes distant and blank.

"Amir is right," I turn around to see Aladdin calmly walking to me. I can't help but to sigh in relief. He smiles softly at me as he walks by. "You're wrong," He tells the Finalist as he slabs his hand away from Titus. The man looks at Aladdin in shock. "Titus. You are Titus, our friend. Even if you are different from everyone else in the world, even if you are alone there will be people who would just say they don't care about such things. That's what I think!" Aladdin grins at him and holds his head out for Titus to take. Slowly, Titus raises his hand to take Aladdin's.

"Aladdin…" Titus faintly smiles at him as he slowly stands back up.

"Let's fight together," Aladdin says.

"Heh!" The female Finalist from before laughs while shaking her head in disapproval.

"Let's think together about a solution," Aladdin continues, completely ignoring the female Finalist.

"So, Aladdin. For what reason did you come here?" The long-haired Finalist finally speaks. Aladdin's smile vanishes as he looks the Finalist in the eye.

"I came here to stop you and this sorrowful war!" He says firmly. My eyes widen when he begins to take the bandages off his arms. Aladdin, do you mean to fight all out against the Laem Empire? He pulls the magic items from his arms and stands there for a moment, but nothing changes.

"Aladdin what's going-" I'm cut off before I can ask what's wrong.

"Aladdin! Titus!" We all look up to see all the Magicians and Professors. "We are here to assist you," The female professor says, landing beside them.

"Professor Myers! Sphintus!" Aladdin greets them.

"I brought my subordinates with me. We have to put our strength together and defeat them, one way or another. If we could make the Finalist Corps retreat, we should be able to stop the Laem Empire's army from advancing too!" I smirk lightly at this and ready myself to continue fighting. The Magicians move to surround the Finalist Corps, from both the land and the sky.

"It seems like they are swarming all over us, Captain," The Finalist with the marred face says.

"We will never retreat. We'll be in trouble if the Kou Empire takes Magnoshutatt, you know. They hold such a high magic expertise. Plus, they'll be a good foothold for when the Laem Empire invades the Eastern Content. Magnoshutatt is useful. We will attack without stopping until we conquer the Capital!"

"Why is Miss Scheherazade doing such an arrogant thing?" Aladdin asks him. The Captain freeze before glaring coldly at Aladdin.

"What did you say?" The Captain growls.

"I wouldn't say Magnoshutatt's way is correct. However, so long as the people of Laem and the Kou Empire treat this country like this, this country, the Chancellor, and the Magicians. They will never change their way of thinking. So, would you stop chasing after this country? Will you tell Miss Scheherazade this?"

"Someone like you could not command such a dignified person as her. Advance! Destroy all the barriers and take control of the capital!" The Captain orders.

"Yeah!" The Finalist Corps cheer as they once again race into the battle.

"Stop them!" Professor Myers orders. "We have to crush them before they reach the second defensive barrier!" And so, the battle began.

"Such an incredible bunch!" Professor Myers says after what seems like hours of fighting. She sends yet another attack towards them that they simply dodge. I glance around to see Magicians being taken out left and right. Their borgs can't hold up against such a strong physical attack from a Finalist. My eyes widen when I see the female Finalist jump up to attack Qamar from behind. Without a second thought, I block her path. Her fist connects with my borg, cracking it badly and throwing me back into Qamar.

"Amir!" He shouts when I hit him. "W-What!?" I barely manage to keep myself in the air.

"I-I'm alright," I pant softly. That took more magoi than I thought it would. I can't afford to do that again. Qamar wraps his arm around me to help me stay in the air. I smile gratefully at him.

"Don't do that again," He glares at me. I just grin innocently, knowing that I would never obey such a command.

"This isn't working," Professor Myers grunts.

"What should we do?" Aladdin asks her.

"If we can stop them in their tracks for even a moment we might be able to do something about it together with my subordinates, but…" She trails off.

"Stop them? What about stopping them by fixing the barrier that has been broken?"

"That's impossible. Such a big barrier that completely covers the city cannot be created so easily. The ones who are administering these three barriers are Lord Mogamett and his high-level Magician subordinates, who are in the Academy's headquarters. Lord Mogamett and the others are searching for a chance to regenerate the first barrier as well, but it would mean nothing when the enemy has already invaded the territory inside that barrier," Myers explains to him.

"Yeah…" Aladdin trails off. "Then how about this, then?" He points to the river behind us. We all look at him confused. "Let's use the land against them." Myers eyes go wide in realization.

"It's worth a try," Myers nods. "Let's break this land up and guide the water to them." Soon all us Magicians are firing at the ground rather than directly at them.

"Come on!" The female Finalist shouts, jumping from rock to rock as they fall towards them. "Aren't you just hollowing out the terrain? You can't stop us like this!" Not seconds later the water breaks through, rushing towards the Finalist Corps.

"Water!? Where did they get this water from!?" One shouts as they are pushed back by the current.

"We did it! Serves you right!" A fellow Magician shouts.

"I remembered Morg isn't very good when it comes to water," Aladdin says. I grin at him.

"Good thinking, Aladdin. I completely forgot about that incident," I praise him.

"No!" Titus shouts, putting a stop to all the cheering. "That won't stop Mu and his men!"

"L-Look!" Qamar shouts, pointing to the water. All the Finalist begin to surface with smug smirks plastered on their faces.

"What!?" Sphintus and a few other Magicians gasp.

"You are too stupid," The female Finalist says. "Did you really think that you could stop us with just water!?"

"No, but this should be more than enough!" Myers suddenly shouts. I look to see that both herself and her subordinates are casting a lighting spell. It connects with the water and the Finalist immediately begin to scream in pain.

"The weather, rivers, terrain, and all the natural things where the rukh dwells. We can turn them into allies. This is our strength. Also, even though the destructive power of magic is low, if a great number of Magicians activate their power at the same time, we can operate huge formulas and the power is multiplied," Myers says, watching the Finalist be taken away by the river.

"With this, the enemy's power should have been split! It was possible thanks to Aladdin!" An older professor says. Everyone turns to look at Aladdin, only to see him hunched over. My eyes widen at the marks appearing on him and I quickly rush to his side.

"Aladdin, are you alright!? What's wrong!?" Sphintus shouts.

"Aladdin, is it?" I trail off. He stiffly nods. I bite my lip and back away, knowing this is nothing I can do.

"I'm fine," Aladdin says calmly. "It's just that everyone is giving me a lot more Magoi than before so my body is unable to cope."

"What!? The rukh is!?" Sphintus gasps, watching the rukh flow into Aladdin. I smile slightly. Our Magi is back.

 _ **Chapter 27**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

I can't help but to smirk when Aladdin creates three copies of Ugo. Qamar gasps beside me at the sight of the giant jinn.

"What!?" Everyone shouts in a panic. Aladdin and Ugo simply ignore everyone, facing their opponents. Ugo swiftly swings his arm and it connects with the Finalists. It knocks them back a couple of yards, but the three don't lose their footing.

"What the hell are those?" They question, staring up at the giants. Suddenly the giants roar, nearly knocking everyone out of the sky and everyone on the ground barely stay standing.

"W-What is this!?" Titus shouts from beside me. "The rukh is giving Aladdin magoi!? Could it really be? Aladdin is…!?"

"He is," I nod slightly. Everyone stares at me wide eyed before looking back to Aladdin.

"Chancellor!" Aladdin speaks. "I don't think you are suitable as a King of this world. But I also know the Magicians of this country are people who want to live no matter what. I'm sure if you work with other people to contribute to the wisdom of this world, you will find a better way of doing things! This country, Magnoshutatt, has its heart consumed with hatred, and, as such, it cannot be allowed to become one with the rest of the world. Otherwise, it will certainly go out of control! And I will stop such a thing!" The rukh surges around him as he shouts. The Finalists gather around one another, talking quietly amongst themselves before the one with long hair speaks.

"You are not Yunan," He says, pointing his sword at Aladdin.

"You know Yunan?" Aladdin tilts his head slightly.

"Yes. I met him once. According to what I heard there can be only three Magi in this world. In that case, you are the Magi of the Kou Empire. Did you infiltrate Magnoshutatt as a preparation for the war against Laem?"

"I am not Judal or any other Magi," Aladdin calmly answers.

"In any case, I will remove all obstacles against Laem!" He shouts, rushing forward to attack Aladdin. One of the giants takes the blow, successfully protecting Aladdin. The rest of the Finalists bolt forward to help their commander fight against the giants. They also begin to use their metal vessels, but all of their attacks prove to be useless against the sand giants.

"Incredible. They are totally ignoring the Finalists attacks! Their attacks are strong, but their range is narrow and those giants are too big!" Shouts one of the Magicians. Slowly, Aladdin begins to raise his staff and with it the right hands of the three giants also raise. I watch wide eyed as Aladdin channels his magoi into each of the giants and begins to cast a spell.

"Har-Har Infigar!" Aladdin shouts. Flames cover the sky in an instant, completely blocking out the sky all the way to the ocean.

"T-That was a warning shot that went all the way to the coast!" People begin to shout.

"Those giants are amazing," Sphintus says in awe. "No Aladdin! How did he completely turn things around!?"

"Aladdin has always been able to do such things," I smile at Sphintus.

"If you were just a strong Magician who interferes with that overwhelming magic power in a war among fellow humans and kills all the soldiers in the Laem's army. You would not be any different from that guy called Mogamett, right!? Aladdin!" Aladdin doesn't falter for a moment.

"I will put an end to this war without letting a single life return to the rukh!" Aladdin declares. I shake my head but smile faintly. It's just like him to say something like that.

"I will stop this war, you say? How will you do something that neither Lady Scheherazade nor Mogamett could do!? Furthermore, without killing anyone!? Stop sugar coating your words! It's impossible to do such a thing!"

"I can do it! I have to do it!" Aladdin turns to the ground of professors. "Professor Irene! Can I talk with the Chancellor!?"

"N-Now!? It is impossible to have a conversation with him but he should be able to listen to your words. Chancellor Mogamett should be watching the battle progress attentively with his long-range clairvoyance magi."

"That should be enough!" Aladdin nods, turning back to face the army before him. "Chancellor! We will protect the city once again!" He shouts, raising his staff to fire what looks like another attack from the giants. Just before the flames are let the loose the giants begin to crumble.

"What!? They are crumbling all of the sudden!" The Laem soldiers shout. I watch, confused by Aladdin's actions. My eyes widen in realization as the sand from the giants rush towards the army. The sand easily sweeps away the Laem army, pushing them all the way back to the beach. Within moments of them being past the boarder, the Elders restore the broken barrier.

"With this, I have undone everything you have done in this war until now and brought the armies back to their initial positions. If you want to make Magnoshutatt fall, then you have to redo everything from the beginning. But no matter how many times you attack. I will send you back to the shore every single time!" I grin at this. He did it and without having to kill anyone, just like he said he would. I look to the Laem army, watching as they fall to their knees in defeat.

"I see. That was his plan," An older professor speaks up. Everyone looks to him for guidance. "The spirit of soldiers who endlessly repeat their charge by knowing that it will be useless is not strong. Furthermore, they are in a big foreign expedition. They are far away from their hometowns; They had to pay a lot of sacrifices and spend a lot of time to come here. And now their destination, that was right in front of their eyes, is once again far from them. I wonder how they are looking at this scenery right now."

"T-This is impossible," A Laem soldier says, falling to his knees as he hopelessly stares up at Aladdin.

"What did you say!?" The red-haired commander shouts at him, but Aladdin speaks before anyone else has the chance to.

"Even if I didn't do this, the people of Magnoshutatt would probably oppose Laem's army anyway. Because they're desperate, because everyone holds their home country dear! So don't steal the place where these people belong. People of Laem! Go back to your own country!" Aladdin shouts, pointing his staff out towards the vast ocean.

"Barbatos!" I hear the captain shout from the shore lines. My eyes go wide and I quickly turn to see him in his djinn equip form. Not a second later he disappears from sight, leaving a trail of destruction in his path.

"W-What is that!?" Qamar shouts from beside.

"Djinn equip," I mumble softly, not wanting to believe that a Finalist can achieve that form. He comes to a stop before shooting off again, leaving another trail of rubble in his path. He doesn't stop until he passed through the barrier, leaving a large hole in the middle of the side.

"It's useless. Even the rock's surface and barriers are just like scraps of paper to him!" A Magician shouts. "His entire body is like a sword. A sword that, with a single slash, can pierce through anything!"

"Aladdin, you are the only one who I will bring down here!" The captain suddenly shouts. I begin to move towards Aladdin to protect him without a second thought. He raises his spear above his head and shouts. "Bard Romh!" Aladdin seems to completely freeze as he speeds towards him at an impossible speed.

"Aladdin!" I scream when the Captain reaches him. The Captain pushes Aladdin back into the ground, creating a cloud of dust. I stop my advance, not believing my eyes as the smoke clears. Aladdin sits in the crater without barely any injuries.

"You distorted your borg," The Captain states. "In order to concentrate its defense directly in front and behind you, right?" Aladdin ignores his question.

"I must not lose here!" Aladdin shouts, swinging his magic enhanced staff at him. The Captain easily breaks his staff in two.

"This is the end!" The Captain shouts, swinging his blade at Aladdin. Aladdin gasps, stumbling backwards. Before his blade can connect he pauses, looking at his djinn equip.

"Brother! It's too late!" The other Finalist shouts.

"I'm out of time," The Captain agrees with a conflicted look.

"The djinn equip is coming off. Aladdin did it!" Magicians begin to cry out. "He was able to protect the city!" The shouts of joy are quickly cut short.

"No," I whisper when I see what's coming. I fly as fast as I can to Aladdin, landing in front of him as the Captain summons his extreme magic.

"Amir!" Aladdin yells at me. "Get out of here!" I simply ignore him, readying myself to help protect the city as best I can. The Captain smirks at us.

"Barbatos' sword will tear everything in a straight line all the way to the city to pieces!" He screams. A beam of light explodes from his spear, reaching all the way to the clouds.

"Stop!" Aladdin and I shout, standing in front of him.

"Aladdin, Amir!" Our friends and comrades scream as the light comes down on us. Before I could blind I was being pushed back into Aladdin by another person. I gasp as I recognize the rukh. The light begins to fade away, revealing the person to us all.

"If the eight-pointed star is cut down while someone is using the djinn equip, his metal vessel will be broken. Amon's sword is the sword of melting. That's why even Barbatos' sword would probably be sliced off!"

"I didn't think I would be stopped by you," The Captain says, his djinn equip completely disappearing. "I guess you didn't come here to back me up with that kind of appearance, huh?"

"A-Alibaba!" Aladdin suddenly gasps. I continue to stare wide eyed at the blond boy in front of me.

"Aladdin!" Alibaba greets him.

"W-Who the hell is that guy!?" Magicians begin shouting as they come out of their shock. The Captain abruptly collapses and his fellow Finalist run to his side to aid him.

"Alibaba, do you realize the crime you have just committed!" The female Finalist shouts at him. "You were a simple outsider, but now you made the entire Laem Empire into your enemy!"

"You're right," Alibaba agrees without any regret in his voice. "But, it wasn't like I could stay there doing nothing while Aladdin was about to be cut into two. This is the guy. He is that important friend I was searching for so I'm sorry, everyone."

"Everyone retreat," A woman's voice gains everyone's attention. We all turn to the person who would get in the middle of this.

"W-Why are you here?" Titus questions in shock. I frown slightly as I look at the woman. Titus looks almost exactly like her. "Lady Scheherazade…" My eyes widen at the name. Isn't that?

"Titus," Aladdin speaks up. "Is that person Miss Scheherazade?" Titus shakily nods, not vocally answering his question. Aladdin seems to look confused as he tilts his head. "Bu. are you really Miss Scheherazade?"

"What are you talking about, Aladdin?" Titus asks him.

"And who are you?" Scheherazade speaks once again. "Are you Magnoshutatt's Magi, Aladdin?"

"No, you're wrong?" Aladdin shakes his head. "But I want you to leave this country alone. Several triggers are hidden in this country. The hate the Magicians hold, the Magoi Accumulation Furnace, the connections to a certain organization, and, if it is true that the Chancellor is hiding something, somewhere in this country, then terrifying things will be called into this world. So, please." Scheherazade stares at him for a long moment, deep in thought as she thinks about everything he just told her.

"Retreat the soldiers for now, Mu," She says.

"What? Why!?"

"Aladdin is probably gazing at the same scene as Yunan. In any case, there is a great number of injured soldiers. We cannot just end things like this but have the entire army retreat in the open sea for now. And in the meantime. Aladdin, Aladdin's King Alibaba, and Titus, may we have a talk together?" She asks. Everyone, of course, agrees to this. The four of them get on a life boat, sailing out half way to the large boats. This way they are in between the two territories.

"Amir." Qamar says, trying to gain my attention.

"Yeah?" I halfheartedly answer.

"Come on. We need to help get the injured back for treatment." I slowly nod before tearing my eyes away from the small boat. I follow him back to the other Magicians, doing whatever I'm needed to do. Soon we have all the injured back and the dead lined up. I grimace at the sight of all the people we lost and quickly leave the room with Qamar following close behind.

"Amir, are you okay?" He hesitates to ask. I shake my head roughly, collapsing against the wall and sliding to the ground. "Amir!" He rushes to me, kneeling beside me.

"Sorry," I mumble, covering my mouth with my hand. He frowns deeply before pulling me closer to him. I relax slightly, leaning my head on his shoulder. "It reminds me o-of the day I lost my sigh," I gulp softly, remembering all the blood that covered my best friends body before everything went black. Qamar doesn't say anything, rather he tightens his comforting hold on me. We stay like that on the floor, comforting each other as best we can.

"S-Something is wrong," I mumble after a few minutes. Slowly I make my way to my feet with the help of Qamar.

"What is it?" He asks, holding my hand in his.

"Aladdin, Alibaba and…" I trail off, closing my eyes so I can focus on the rukh. Qamar stays silent, knowing what I'm trying to do. After a minute of concentrating I finally sense who the last person is all those miles away. "It's a Kou Prince with them, Kouha." I open my eyes to look at Qamar. "I need to go help them," I say. He simply nods.

"Then I'm coming with you," He says firmly, leaving no room for argument. I sigh softly but agree nonetheless.

"Then we need to hurry," I say, dragging him through the halls with me until we are outside and able to use our gravity magic. We fly as fast as we can towards the direction of their rukh's location.

"He said he's Alibaba Saluja, the Prince of Balbadd Kingdom, right?" Is the first thing we hear upon our arrival. I land beside Aladdin and Alibaba, taking in the crowd surrounding us.

"Aladdin?" Prince Kouha questions in confusion. I look to see him kneeling on the ground, clutching his injured arm.

"Aladdin, is this the Kou Empire's army?" I ask softly. He stiffly nods in response.

"If I remember well, after that large-scale Coup D'état, the royal family of that country was supposed to be executed as the ones guilty of causing the decay of the political situation, but I heard because of the intervention of the Seven Seas Alliance, the three Princes were barely able to save their skin, and they took asylum in Sindria," A member of the Kou army speaks up.

"I see," A large man says. "So that metal vessel user is a protégé of Sindria."

"That makes him an enemy, wouldn't it?" The man with strange hair next to him says with an evil smirk.

"A-Alibaba?" Aladdin asks him, shuttering nervously.

"It's alright, Aladdin," Alibaba says calmly. "Hakuryuu and Kougyoku, and a lot of people from the Kou Empire already know my face. They would have discovered y real identity eventually." Moments later, Alibaba steps towards who looks to be the general of the army. Everyone tenses, raising their weapons to him. "I stepped on the battlefield in order to protect the life of the Third Prince of the Kou Empire, Ren Kouha!" He declares. My eyes go wide in shock.

"What!?" Kouha shouts from his position on the ground. The army around us begin to mutter amongst themselves. They state that this is a bluff. The general stares at Alibaba in silence with a blank face.

"Aren't you looking down on me? Since you have already lost your country," The general says. Alibaba looks down at his words. "But I have to thank you. You did a good job saving Kouha." With that the general walks past us.

"That brat made use of Prince Kouha to get away! On top of that, he forced Prince Kouen to thank him in their first meeting! What a shameless brat!" The man with the strange hair shouts. I frown as I look at Alibaba. It wasn't the best way to get out of this situation but at least it worked.

"There's no need to be so resentful," The large man smirks. "It seems that even the young master didn't mind it too much. That boy was the one whose intentions were seen through, and he was embarrassed from the deepness of his heart. I go to say something before the rukh catches my eye. I turn to look towards the sky, my eyes going wide in horror. Aladdin sees this and also looks.

"What? The western sky turned black?" People begin to say.

"Oh no!" Aladdin gasps.

"Aladdin?" Alibaba questions.

"What's going on?" Qamar asks, but I don't answer.

"Old man Kouen!" Aladdin suddenly shouts. I break my gaze from the sky to look at Aladdin in surprise. Why would he address the First Prince in such a manner!?

"Old man!?" His army shouts in rage.

"Send back your soldiers, I beg you! It won't matter if they're from Kou or Laem! If the people around here continue to fight, they will die!"

"Prince Kouen! Don't be bothered by the nonsense spouted by this dirty little Magician!" One of the men shouts. The army moves forward to attack Aladdin, but he holds his hand up with a determined look on his face.

"We don't have time. If you don't believe me, then the situation will be explained directly by your Djinns!" He shouts and a blinding light fills the space around us as their Djinn emerge. As they emerge, they begin to bow with a hand over their chest. Kouen's once blank face turns into one of shock.

"We are here to serve you, our King, and the reincarnation of our past Great King!" They say in unison. I look at Aladdin, wondering what they could possibly be talking about. Obviously, the Djinn's masters are the Kings but what do they mean by reincarnation of a past great king?

"Aagares, Astaroth, Phenex! These are my Djinn!" Kouen shouts in surprise.

"Show yourselves, everyone!" Aladdin shouts without wasting a second. The rest of the Djinn around us appear.

"Did you call us, Magi?" They question.

"Did they say Magi!?" Kouha frowns in confusion.

"I see. The fourth Magi that Judal was talking about is you!" Kouen says, looking down at Aladdin.

"Our Kings, you have to close the Dark Spot. Otherwise, this world will be annihilated," The Djinn say. I narrow my eyes on Aladdin. I knew he was worrying over something serious, but could it really be this dire? If so then why didn't he tell me about it? I could have helped him or at least helped talk him through this. Qamar begins to shake, backing up behind me a little. I give his hand a comforting squeeze, hoping that will help him a little.

"What do you mean!?" People shout at the Djinns.

"In the far western skies a hole has been opened. From there, the incarnation of evil will descend on us. Anything that its hands touch will have the white rukh inside of their body be stolen away and erased. People, animals, even plants. Even light and sound will die out, nothing will move, and nothing will be heard. In its wake would be a black sun, shining down a world devoid of life," The Djinn explain.

"Don't let this world die, you guys!" Kouha's Djinn suddenly shouts. "Or else it'll be the same as Alma Toran!"

"That's taboo. The humans of this world shouldn't even know about the existence of the other world," Kouen's Djinn snaps at her.

"Did you say the other world?" Kouen questions him. "The destruction of the world could it be…" He trials off.

"What should we do to stop the world from ending, Amon!?" Alibaba asks his Djinn.

"You have to destroy the Medium," He answers. "The crystallized body of an immense quantity of black rukh and magoi. That is the final objective of Al Thamen, and the reason why they are causing the world abnormalities."

"So, we just need to destroy that thing," Aladdin states.

"Yes, but it will be a difficult fight," Amon says. "Even considering that you, Solomon's Proxy, will be there." Aladdin frowns deeply at this.

"Hey," Kouen interrupts, walking towards Aladdin. "What is this Solomon's Proxy? And, is it possible that the other world is King Solomon's destroyed world?" My eyes narrow on the First Prince as he nears Aladdin. I can't help but to also wonder those questions.

"Eh?" Aladdin tilts his head. "What? Are you familiar with Alma Toran, Uncle?" Quicker than any of us could react, Kouen has Aladdin by the collar of his shirt.

"Tell me everything," Kouen demands with a cold look in his eye. "Right now!" I rush forward without a second thought to force the Prince to let Aladdin go. Alibaba seems to have the same idea.

"Uncle, you're hurting me," Aladdin whines.

"King Kouen!" His Djinns begin to freak out. "Stop being so rude towards the Magi!" Alibaba and I begin to struggle to get Kouen off of Aladdin.

"That's right!" Aladdin suddenly explains, causing everyone to jump. "If you send back the soldiers and help us destroy the Medium, then I'll tell you everything!"

"What!?" All the Djinn exclaim in disbelief. "Are you sure about that, Magi? I-If you tell the humans everything, then the normal flow of destiny created by King Solomon will."

"We're already in an extreme situation, we can't worry about that anymore!" Aladdin yells in frustration. Maybe this is why he never told me? Kouen smirks and drops Aladdin.

"Fine then," He takes a deep breathe. "Koumei, Hakuryuu, Hakuei, Kougyoku! Come forth immediately!" He shouts before turning on his army who are all holding their ears. "Have you finished treating the injured soldiers!? As soon as the treatment for the heavily injured soldiers finishes, Kouha and I will depart!" I watch wide eyed as he yells at people and they scramble about.

"Are you going to believe that absurd story!?" Kouha questions Kouen.

"It's not a matter of believing it or not, this is part of the abyss of history I'm trying to uncover. If I would be able to solve the mystery of this world before uniting it, then from now on there won't be any need to repeat the thousands of wars that happened in the other world." My eyes widen and I stare up at him openly. He wants to know the history so he can prevent it from happening here? "Hey, Magi!" He shouts at Aladdin. "I will lend the power of all the metal vessel users in the Kou Empire. In exchange for this, after all of this is through, you will tell me the truth about this world!" Aladdin shakily nods, gulping in fear. I sigh at this. From what the Djinn said this isn't something we of this world should know but it seems Aladdin doesn't have a choice now. I turn to look at Qamar who stayed behind me the whole time.

"Hey," I whisper, putting my hands on his shoulders and resting my forehead against him. This always seems to calm him when he begins to panic. "Are you okay?" I question softly. Slowly he mutters a yes and his shaking calms down. I smile a faint, sad smile at him.

"W-What are we going to do?" He asks in a scared voice. I frown deeply at his fear, wishing I could take it all away from him.

"We're going to win. We will protect our home," I say firmly, never looking away from his ice blue eyes.

 _ **Chapter 28**_

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

"Argh," I groan softly, faltering midair. We're on our way back to the city to protect the people.

"Amir?" Qamar asks, grabbing onto my arm to keep me up. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," I mumble, clutching at my eye. "My eyes…" I squint as I look around me. Things are becoming blurry.

"Do we need to land?"

"No, I'll be fine," I smile tightly at him and begin to fly on my own again. Could I.. be going blind again? I quickly shake my head to rid myself of the thought. He doesn't try to pester me about it but continues to fly closely to me. Soon we are above the city again.

"Give me back my son!" We hear a shout. Moments later, Alibaba and Aladdin are both speeding past us to help the woman known as Scheherazade. My eyes go wide when I see the blood on her. Alibaba makes quick work of the attacker and lands beside her.

"Dammit!" Alibaba curses. "I can't use my fire here or else the people from the city will get in the way!"

"I'll use my wind magic to push the black djinns out of the city!" Aladdin says, holding his staff up. His faces falls in defeat when he sees it. "My staff is…" Qamar and I land next to them.

"You can't try to use magic with a broken staff. It's not stable enough and you could easily hurt the people around us," I tell Aladdin. He lowers his staff with a defeated look.

"What should we do then?" Alibaba asks. I don't get to answer as the wind picks up and the black djinn are dragged out of the city.

"Paimon!" A woman shouts from above us. I look up to see five people in their djinn equips.

"Hakuei!" Aladdin shouts happily as he flies up to her. We quickly follow him.

"Aladdin! Why are you here?" She asks him in surprise.

"Is he someone you know? H-How are you related?" A younger man with horns asks her.

"He saved my life," The woman named Hakuei tells him, smiling gently.

"Kougyoku!" Alibaba is next to shout.

"Alibaba!" She greets him excitably.

"A-Alibaba!? You're talking to an enemy general, you know! Why are you so over-familiar!?" Kouha shouts at her.

"Well, Kouha, it's because we're good friends," She responses simply. "In any case, our enemy is that absurdly big, black sphere and that thing above it, right?"

"Yes!" Aladdin nods. With that, we all move into action. The fight drags on with us hardly making any progress due to the overwhelming number of black djinn. Soon Kouen becomes a bit too irritated and uses up most of his magoi on his last attack.

"To think that he could disperse six of the black djinn with just one blow," Aladdin says in awe.

"But look! His djinn equip isn't there anymore. Is he out of magoi!?" Alibaba panics.

"No, he's switching his Djinn equip," The man with horns on his head says.

"Pierce through the Earth, Agares!" Kouen shouts. I watch wide eyed as Kouen makes his own source of magoi.

"A lava flow," I say in shock. "He stimulated the veins of the Earth," Kouen quickly switches djinn equips again, a smirk on his face.

"But why?" Alibaba asks.

"So that he can use it to absorb magoi from the lava," I tell him. The fight continues on and both Alibaba and Kouen used their extreme magic at the same time. Together, they break the borg on the sphere, causing all of the black djinn to return to it. My eyes go wide in horror when I see that this isn't over.

"It's reabsorbing the black djinn!?" Aladdin shouts.

"Oh man," Kouha groans. We all watch as it transforms into what looks like a giant human.

"What the hell is that slim and huge doll?" Kouen asks. "The medium became quite small. And what's the deal with those hands Astaroth's flames are disappearing."

"It's taking the rukh from the flames? Could it be that he…?" Aladdin's eyes go wide. "Don't let it get near the city!" He screams abruptly.

"What's wrong Aladdin?" Kouha asks, surprised by the outburst.

"I beg you! If something is touched by the palm of its hands, no matter if it's flames, trees, birds, or even the people from Magnoshutatt. They will have their magoi taken away and die!" Suddenly, arms begin to sprout from its neck and towards the black hole in the sky.

"I will not let you drag it down!" Alibaba shouts in his rage as he attacks it. In the blink of an eye Alibaba is swatted away and Kouen is jumping back into the fight. The hands seem to easily catch Kouen.

"Brother!" Kougyoku shouts when the hand closes around him. Seconds later, a blade slices through it to reveal a bloody Kouen.

"It stripped off the djinn equip from me," Kouen says as if nothing happened to him. I gag slightly at the slight of his muscle where the skin was also stripped off. I glance to Kougyoku when she shouts in rage at the monster for doing this.

"Amir!" I hear Qamar shout. I barely have any time to react as the hand grabs at me. "No!" He screams at the same time as I do. "Dammit!" I hear him curse and then I begin to fall. I don't fall far though as Qamar catches me in his arms. I hiss in pain, but don't complain. I open my eyes to see Kougyoku successfully attacked it. Everyone else quickly moves in to help her and use their extreme magic on it. We land on the ground next to Alibaba and Kouen. Kouen had already healed himself with his djinn and moved to heal Alibaba's arm.

"Amazing," I whisper, watching all of them use their extreme magic.

"My younger siblings are brave, aren't they?" Kouen smirks at me. I nod slightly, wincing as I do. I can't bring myself to look down to see the damage but based on Qamar's face it's bad. "Here," Kouen points his sword at me. "Phenex will restore you." Within moments, I felt as if nothing had happened.

"T-Thank you," I say, slightly shocked. He nods, barely even looking at me.

"You two Magicians stay here," He orders before rejoining the fight with Alibaba. I can't bring myself to argue. There is absolutely nothing we can do at this point.

"Amir? Amir!" Qamar shouts at me when I don't answer him. I look at him wide eyed. He sighs in relief, his head dropping onto my shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm okay," I tell him, knowing that seeing me hurt was hard on him. "You saved me," I smile faintly. He shakily nods, pulling back slowly. Our short conversation is interrupted when a giant bolt of lightning strikes the monster.

"What!?" Alibaba and Aladdin shout. My eyes widen when I realize who it is and I'm quickly struggling to my feet.

"Father!" I shout, never having been this happy to see him. I quickly gather all my strength to take to the air again. Qamar doesn't hesitant to join me.

"Sinbad!?" Alibaba gasps.

"Sinbad!? So, it's that man. I see. He's the one who brought that army here."

"Amir!" I hear my name shouted from the army. I quickly look to see a woman I remember well from my early childhood. Yamuraiha.

"Mother!" Tears fill my eyes. She rushes to me, pulling me into her arms.

"You're okay," She sighs in relief. I slowly pull away to look around.

"Father, you gathered the Seven Seas Alliance?" He looks at me, shaking his head. He turns to look at a man with long blond hair.

"We are grateful to the people who quickly realized that this was happening and gathered us here from all over the world," He says to the unknown man.

"I am glad we made it in time. I was so worried," The said man says with a small smile. I look at him confused but decide to question it later. I look back to my mother, taking in her appearance. I can't help but to grin widely despite everything happening around us.

"I really do have your eyes," I comment as I look into them.

I watch as my mother frowns in confusion before her eyes widen in disbelief and shock.

"Amir, can you see me?" She questions me softly. I grin widely and nod. Her face also breaks out into a huge grin as she pulls me closer into a tight hug. I gladly return it, missing the warmth of her hugs.

"Sorry to break this up, but you two and your friend should get away from here," My father says, his voice emotionless. I turn to glare at him but agree nonetheless. Not a moment after Qamar, my mother, and myself are off the battle field, the fight is back in full swing.

"I can't believe I'm stuck on the side lines," I growl softly to myself.

"It can't be helped," Qamar sighs. "I feel the same way, but we would just get in their way right now." I nod slightly, before I wince hard and place my hands over my eyes.

"Amir?" My mother questions me, coming to my side.

"Sorry. My eyes just started hurting again," I mumble, slowly opening my eyes. I take a sharp breath in when I notice how blurry everything is.

"Are you okay?" Qamar asks, making me look at him. I can practically feel my mother's gaze when he rests his hand on my cheek to look at me more closely.

"I'll be fine," I faintly smile, already accepting my fate. He frowns deeply but doesn't push me any farther on the subject.

"Look out!" I hear someone shout. I look up quickly to see one of the many hands coming straight towards Qamar and I. Without a second thought, I push Qamar away with the last of my strength. I faintly hear his shout when the hand swipes me up into its grasp. I cry out softly and try to squirm my way out, only to fail. "Amir!" I hear the same voice call out again. I open my eyes to see my father rushing towards me before everything starts to fade. Suddenly I feel myself falling before smaller arms catch me. I instantly know it's Qamar.

"Amir!" I faintly hear him cry out. I wince weakly when he lands with me in his arms. "Amir, look at me," He softly begs, cradling me close to his chest. I feel his hand on my cheek yet again, trying to get me to open my eyes. "Dammit!" He shouts in frustration when I can't open my eyes for him. "Help him!" I can only assume he's shouting towards my mother. A few seconds later, I feel another pair of hands that are much softer.

"I-I… I can't," She cries softly, pulling her hands away. After that everything is quiet and I'm once again alone in the darkness.

 _ **Qamar's**_ _ **Pov**_

"What do you mean you can't!?" I shout at the blue haired woman, tears freely running down my cheeks. "H-He's going to die." I look back down at him and nearly start full on sobbing from the sight. Most of his skin has been stripped off his torso and blood has begun to pool around him.

"Move," A stern voice commands. I look up to see the first prince of the Kou Empire standing over me with his sword drawn. I gently lay Amir down and scoot away quickly. "I can't completely heal him, but this will save his life," He states, drawing his sword and pointing it at Amir. Slowly, his muscles and skin begin to rebuild itself and the bleeding slows down.

"T-Thank you," I whisper, tears silently falling. He doesn't respond as he walks away. I look over Amir again, seeing a few spots on his arms and legs that didn't completely heal.

"How is he?" Another man asks as he walks towards us. A group of people follow closely behind him.

"He'll be okay now, thanks to Prince Kouen," The blue haired woman tells him. He nods slightly, a little of the tension leaving his shoulders. Ignoring both of them, I scoot back towards Amir to gently lay him in my lap.

"And who are you?" The man asks me. I look up, only just taking notice of his purple hair that perfectly matches Amir's.

"I'm Qamar Khoury," I answer hesitantly. "You're Amir's father, right?"

"I am. My name is Sinbad," He kneels beside the blue haired woman and begins to care for the remaining wounds on Amir. I flush slightly and begin to clean my face off. My first time meeting him and I'm a complete mess. Once I deem my face presentable I look back up to see the blue haired woman staring at me intensely.

"Yes?" I ask softly, still slightly flushed. She seems to notice how nervous I am and smiles softly.

"My name is Yamuraiha. I'm Amir's mother," She introduces herself. My eyes widen slightly.

"O-Oh," I shakily smile in return before turning my gaze back to Amir. My smile quickly disappears. I couldn't do anything to help him despite knowing some healing magic. My magoi is nearly gone. If I tried then we both probably would have died.

"What's wrong? You're crying again," Yamuraiha asks me softly. I quickly wipe at my eyes again.

"I-I couldn't help him," I mumble. "I'm not the best at healing magic. I know that but I still couldn't do anything for his wounds. I don't have any magoi left but…" I trail off, sobbing softly. I nearly lost him all over again. I jerk slightly when I feel arms wrapped around me.

"It's okay, no one blames you. I couldn't do anything for him either. I know how you feel, but you should focus on the fact that he will live and that he's still here," She says softly into my ear. More tears fill my eyes before I nod slightly into her shoulder. "Besides, I know he wouldn't want to see his love sad when he wakes up," She whispers even softer before pulling back with a smirk on her face. My eyes widen and my cheeks turns bright red at her boldness. H-How did she even know?

 _ **Amir's Pov**_

 _I slowly open my eyes to see a cloudless yet blurry sky._

 _"Amir!" I wince at the volume of Qamar's voice and tilt my head towards him. He grins widely at me. "They did it. We're safe." My eyes widen slightly and I struggle to sit up and look around. I quickly notice my father and Prince Kouen glaring at one another._

 _"Stop! You promised to make your soldiers retreat, Uncle Kouen!" Aladdin yells at him. The pain in my body disappears when I realize what might happen and I rush to my feet and towards my father._

 _"Father!" I call for him. He glances at me when I make it to his side before resting his eyes on Kouen again. I slightly glare up at him for ignoring me._

 _"Our original objective was this place, Magnostadt. Since the beginning, I didn't want to employ Kou Empire's metal vessel users only to use them against Reim's. It only happened that the opponent we had to fight changed," Kouen speaks without a hint of emotion in his voice._

 _"This was not what you promised, Uncle!" Aladdin yells in anger._

 _"Hey, stop this!" The man with long blond hair appears behind Father and I. I jump, not expecting him to appear like that. "Why are you playing around like this, Sinbad? We took all those precautionary measures so you shouldn't end up in a fight against the Kou Empire! Right Morgiana?" He looks at her._

 _"Yes," She nods._

 _"What are you talking about, Morgiana?" Alibaba asks her, clearly confused._

 _"The Seven Seas Alliance and the Reim Empire have formed an official confederation," Father Announces._

 _"He's speaking the truth. Lady Scheherazade made that decision just before going into her last battle," The long-haired Finalist says sadly._

 _"There's no power other than the Seven Seas Alliance that can influence the balance between Rein and Kou. That is why we allied with Reim. Do you understand what I am saying here?" Father takes a few steps towards Kouen. I wobble slightly now that I can't lean on him. It doesn't last but a moment before an arm wraps around my shoulders to keep my steady. I don't have to look to know that it is Qamar._

 _"Furthermore, I cannot leave the country that Yamraiha's adoptive Father, Matal Mogamett, governed until now in such a ruined state. I want to use all the power I have available to restore Magnostadt to its former glory," Father smiles lightly. My mouth drops open slightly in shock. I can't believe he's going so far out of his way for Mother. Everyone is quiet for a long minute before Kouen grabs Aladdin by the wrist._

 _"Well, in that case, I will be taking this Magi with me."_

 _"What!?" Aladdin and Alibaba shout. Kouen looks down at Aladdin with a slightly creepy smile._

 _"You promised me, right?"_

 _"Y-Yeah," Aladdin stutters and nods._

 _"If that person were just interested in gaining more territory and influence, then he would just kill us off here. But I guess he's not such a man," Kouen states, looking directly at my father._

 _"Hey Aladdin!" Multiple voices call out. We all look up to see the rest of the Magicians flying towards us._

 _"Ah! Everyone!" Aladdin waves at them, completely forgetting the situation he's in. I shake my head slightly and lean back into Qamar heavily. He stumbles back slightly at the extra weight before regaining his footing._

 _"You okay, Amir?" He asks softly._

 _"No," I whisper as I watch Aladdin rejoin his friends._

 _"Should we join them?" He changes the subject. I nod slightly. He gently moves me so that my arm is over his shoulders and he can help me walk. When we arrive both Aladdin and Sphintus are on the ground looking like they're near tears. Sphintus is also holding Marga who is never away from Titus._

 _"What's wrong?" I ask, frowning deeply._

 _"T-Titus…." Sphintus chokes on his words. He doesn't have to say anymore for me to understand. I look down towards my feet and clench my fists in anger._

 _"Captain!" A Reim soldier shouts. We all look towards them. "T-The transfer magic circle sent us something f-from our motherland!"_

 _"I entrusted you with Magnostadt's related issues, right? Calm down and tell me what was sent, alright?" The long-haired captain asks them. They don't get the chance to answer as someone with very long blond, wavy hair walks up behind him. He looks at the boy in shock. "W-What…!?"_

 _"Huh!?" Sphintus gasps, staring wide eyed. I can't help but to do the same._

 _"You… You are…?" Aladdin struggles to speak. I glance down when I see movement only to see Marga has woken up. She sits up, confused at first until she sees the boy._

 _"Welcome home!" She shouts, getting to her feet. "Titus!" She runs towards him along with Sphintus and Aladdin to tackle him in a hug. Titus looks confused at first before his eyes go wide with realization. I smile slightly, relieved that he is back with his friends._

 _"Amir," I stiffen when I hear my father call my name. I look over my shoulder at him with a blank expression. "Come over here," He orders. I sigh slightly but obey with the help of Qamar who is also very tense now._

 _"What do you want?" I ask half-heartedly. He narrows his eyes but I don't flinch away._

 _"Who is this?" He turns his cold gaze to Qamar, who visibly flinches and looks down._

 _"My-" I cut myself off. "Why do you care who he is?" He sighs deeply, clearly irritated._

 _"Both of you calm down," Mother glares at us as she makes her way over. I flinch away from her glare. It's on a completely different level compared to Fathers._

 _"We are calm," I mumble. She gives me a disbelieving look before looking at my father._

 _"As for your question, this young man is Qamar. He's Amir's boyfriend," She states with a wide smile. My eyes widen in horror._

 _"Mother!" I shout, turning bright red. Qamar looks down, hiding his equally red face._

 _"His… what?" Father asks, not yet showing any emotions._

 _"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Mother asks. With that single comment, Father is glaring sharply at me in pure rage._

 _"You're gay!?" He shouts at me. Now everyone has turned their attention to us. My eyes stay wide in a mixture of horror and terror. Mother's eyes widen in shock at the amount of anger in his voice._

 _"I-I…" I stutter unable to find any words._

 _"Of course, you are," He shakes his head at me. "It's just one disappointment after another with you." I flinch, tears filling my eyes._

 _"Y-You shouldn't say such things to your own son!" Qamar suddenly shouts, but quickly quiets down when Father glares at him._

 _"Sinbad, you need to calm down," Mother tells him. He ignores her, keeping his gaze on me._

 _"I'm sorry," I whisper brokenly. That seems to break the crowd out of their shock and my friends rush to join me. Even Kougyoku and Kouha join me under Father's icy glare._

 _"Qamar is right, Mister Sinbad!" Aladdin yells at him._

 _"Yeah, shouldn't you love and accept your son rather than yell at him all the time!?" Alibaba bluntly asks. Father seems to pause and stiffen under all the glares._

 _"I used to have a son I loved but then he became a completely different person. This boy is not the son I loved," He points to me. Tears slowly slide down my cheeks and my face becomes blank._

 _"I used to have a Father, but he also changed," I say softly. I turn slightly to look at my friends who have surrounded me and smile faintly at them. "Thank you for supporting me." They all return my smile and begin to crush me in multiple hugs like they did to Titus not five minutes ago._

 _~~Two Weeks Later~~_

 _I sigh softly as I look out towards the outline of my homeland. I can barely even make out that it is Sindria now. I tilt my head towards Qamar who continued to gaze wide-eyed at my home._

 _"So what do you think?" I ask softly. He looks towards me with a small grin._

 _"It looks amazing. I can't wait to see it closer.. to see where you grew up." I return his smile with a nod._

 _"Well… I'm just glad that you get to see it at all," I say, my smile turning sad. A week after the war ended, Father and I sat down with Mother to have a talk. Neither of us really want to, but Mother always gets her way with this kind of thing. It wasn't pleasant, but he did agree that I was still the Prince of Sindria and that Qamar could come back to Sindria with me as long as we weren't open about our relationship in public. I hated to agree to it even though I knew I didn't have any other choice._

 _"Don't think about it too much… It will all work out at some point," He whispers softly as if he is convincing himself rather than me. I don't respond, rather I simply sigh again. Soon we are docked in the Sindria ports._

 _"Long time no see!" Pisti is quick to run towards us. We all smile and greet her as she places flowers around Aladdin's neck._

 _"Welcome back. Are you still hurt? We heard everything from Sin when he returned home before you," Ja'far asks, rushing up to me. I look up at him confused._

 _"I'm fine…" I answer simply. I figure he wouldn't want to talk to me anymore, considering how Father reacted to certain news._

 _"Are you sure?" He frowns as he continues to look me over. I squeeze Qamar's hand tightly before letting go to grip my own hand. I can't be open here… otherwise Qamar and I will have to leave. His frown seems to deepen but he doesn't push for anymore answers._

 _Not long after that, the party to welcome the return of Mother, myself, and our guests. Of course, it also didn't take long for most of the people to become drunk beyond words. I sigh, looking away from the generals and my father. I suppose this is at least one thing that hasn't changed._

 _"Let's go," I whisper into Qamar's ear who looks just as bored me. He quickly perks up and follows me from the room._

 _"Where are we going?" He asks quietly as to not draw attention to us._

 _"To a special place…" I whisper softly. We continue to walk in silence after that and soon we have left the city and party behind us. I reach out and take his hand in my own, sending a small smile his way. He grins back, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I bring us both to a stop, looking down at the sand at my feet._

 _"This place is beautiful," He says, gazing out towards the ocean. I simply nod, staring up at him. Soon he meets my gaze. "So why is this place special to you?" I bite my lip and look back down. I sigh deeply and sit down in the sand. He sits with me, refusing to let go of my hand._

 _"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger… before I lost my sight," I answer, taking a deep breath. He stays quiet, knowing that I'm not done explaining. "My younger brother and I used to play here all the time." A sad yet happy smile makes its way onto my face and I slowly begin to play with the sand._

 _"You had a brother?" He questions, clearly confused._

 _"Yes, though he wasn't my blood brother. He was a young orphaned Finalist that Masrur found and adopted. But that didn't matter… He became my little brother within a week of being here."_

 _"Was?" He hesitates to question. I stiffly nod._

 _"This is also where he died," I whisper. Qamar's grip on my hand instantly tightens and that makes me smile a little more. "We ran off on a night similar to this. We were tired of the party and just wanted to play in the sand. It was actually my idea, an idea I'll always regret. But, even though this place holds such horrible memories, I can't help but to come back here." Tears slowly make their way down my cheeks even though my voice doesn't even crack as I relive these memories._

 _"I'm sorry you had to go through that Amir," He says sadly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest. I lay my head against his should, sighing in content._

 _"This place really is special though. That's why I always come back here even though it hurts. This… was his favorite place in Sindria and also where he died. He lives here now… forever. So I wanted you to meet him in a way… because you are just as special as him." I look up to smile at him through my tears. His eyes are wide as he stares back at me. We stay like that for a long moment before he breaks out of his shock and smiles back at me._

 _"Thank you Amir. I can't imagine how hard it was for you to share this with me, but I'm so glad you did. You are just as special Amir. And I'm forever thankful that I am special to you as well." He gently cups my cheeks, bringing my into the most gentle and loving kiss I've ever received from him. My tears soon become happy tears and I lay my hands on his before moving them to his neck to pull him closer. I've never felt so much love from someone before. He slowly pulls back smiling at me brightly. We stay there for hours before we even talk again. Neither of us wanted to break the comfortable silence._

 _"Amir, we should probably head back soon before Yam begins to worry," He speaks up._

 _"She's drunk from the party and won't even notice until morning. I want to stay here," I whisper the end. "I-I want this to be the last thing I see. I want to see my love in my most beloved place before I can't see you anymore." I look up at him, wondering what his react will be. He looks at me in disbelief._

 _"I-I knew it was getting worse but not like this. Why didn't you tell me, Amir?" He worries. I chuckle softly._

 _"I didn't want you to worry like you are now. Besides, even if I told you or anyone else, it wouldn't change the end result. I'm just glad I got to see Sindria, my family, and most of all you here at this beach before my sight completely disappeared for good." His frown only deepens at this._

 _"What do you mean for good? We can find something else… someone else who can help…" He trails off when I shake my head._

 _"I'm content with how I am. If I'm meant to be blind, then I will be. And it's not like I'm completely blind anyway. I still have the ability to see the rukh when I concentrate so I'm sure my ability will come back when my sight leaves me."_

 _"This is what you want?" He questions. I nod slightly and he sighs. "Alright. If this is what you want then who am I to argue?" I chuckle softly at that, laying my head on his shoulder again as I look up at him. We stay like that for a few more minutes before darkness behind to evade my vision from the outer edges. I take in a shaky breath to calm myself as it continues to creep in and block Qamar from my sight. His soft smile is the last thing I see and I couldn't have been happier in that moment. I know it's going to be okay as long as I have him. We will survive this world and push through to the end together._


End file.
